


Deadly Secret

by 18lzytwner



Series: Wicked Fourth Series [5]
Category: Wicked - All Media Types, Wicked - Schwartz/Holzman
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-01-13 09:40:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 24,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21242021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: The royal wedding is coming up but that's not the only thing that is happening in Oz.  What is coming is something that they should have been warned about.  Who was hiding a secret that could get them all killed?  Final Chapter in the Fourth Wicked Series.  Fiyeraba, Izzy/Derya, Glinda/Balfour





	1. Chapter 1

"Today is a very proud day for the Tiggular family. My son, Semir, has become a man," Fiyero announced to the crowd that gathered underneath the large balcony, where the Vinkun royals made their announcements. Cheers went up from the crowd.

"In celebration of this auspicious occasion, we will be having a boar hunt tomorrow! Semir will lead a group of hunters out into the fields. Each family from the village should send their best hunter and convene here at dawn. The following day we will have a feast and celebrate everything he has achieved with the beginning of his tattoos," Fiyero finished his short speech and more cheers went up. There would be enough hunters to bring back plenty of boars to feed the Palace and surrounding village. The spring had been good to the Vinkus and the crops were growing well. Many believed that the dragon's presence had something to do with the prosperity. Bonescraper liked being back in the Vinkus, though he had never described what he'd seen while in hiding like he promised. No one pressed, figuring that it wasn't wise to antagonize the mythical creature.

"Sounds like everyone is excited for tomorrow," Semir said as he met his father at the door, which led back inside the Palace.

"As they should be. A boar hunt is not something we hold every day and certainly not your first tattoos," Fiyero smiled and clapped a hand on Semir's shoulder.

"I don't want to let you down Dad," the young man said.

"You could never let me down Semir. Never. I am so very lucky to have two children that I am very proud of," Fiyero stopped moving and pulled him into a hug.

"I guess I just needed to hear it," his son said as they pulled apart.

"We all need reinforcement every once in a while. If I don't say it enough, I love you," Fiyero told.

"Love you too Dad," Semir smiled.

"Now let's scrounge up what Amir has been cooking up for lunch," the Prince smirked.

"Sounds good," Semir chuckled. The two walked down the hall and bumped into Zara and Emir.

"What are you two up to?" Fiyero asked.

"We were looking for Mom. Have you seen her?" Zara wanted to know.

"She had a meeting with Bonescraper. He said he wanted to discuss something with her," her father said.

"Why did you need her?" Semir cocked an eyebrow. Normally, Zara would have just found her mother without asking them. Their magical powers connected the mother and daughter in a way that only those with powers could understand.

"Just needed her opinion on wedding stuff," Emir admitted.

"Ah, yes. We didn't exactly do it the traditional Vinkun wedding, so…" Fiyero trailed off.

"We'd like a small wedding if we could but we figured that wasn't an option," Emir said.

"Yeah, no chance of that happening. I know that my wife isn't into a big show but the marriage of the Duchess to the son of the Yunamata chief, kind of has to be," Fiyero told them.

"The marriage of the tribes is as important as the marriage of the Duchess," Emir nodded.

"Bingo. It has been a long while since different tribes have been joined in such a high position in society. The entirety of the Vinkus will want to witness it," the Prince said.

"Oi," Zara put her head in her hands and wiped her hands down her face.

"Life of a royal, sweetie. Why do you think I was dancing through life before I met your mother?" Fiyero winked.


	2. Chapter 2

"I've seen that look before," Elphaba said as she entered the dining room. Lunch had been started and she had just finished up talking to Bonescraper. The look she was referring to was the one on Zara's face.

"Wedding jitters, your Highness," Emir said.

"How many times have I told you that you can call me 'Mom'? You're marrying my daughter soon," the green woman told him as she sat down next to her husband.

"While that is true, you are also Princess of the Vinkus, and I am now, and always will be, your subject, no matter my marital status," Emir smiled.

"You are a good man and I am more than happy to welcome you into our family," Elphaba smiled as a plate of food was brought out for her.

"You are too kind, your Highness. Zara and I are concerned that the wedding will be forced to be a large affair and Prince Fiyero thought so too," the young man admitted.

"Marriage of the tribes, I'm afraid. Though I'm not sure that the ceremony will work the typical way," the Princess frowned.

"What do you mean?" Fiyero perked up.

"Semir will be able to get his tattoos tomorrow. They will stand out, much like yours do, Yero. Zara's will not stand out," Elphaba said. They were right. Semir's skin color matched his father's, while Zara's matched her mother's; hard to have green tattoos on green skin. Elphaba had become part of the Arjiki Tribe when she married Fiyero, and the typical tattoos that would normally have been added to her skin, were not. Not because Elphaba did not want to participate but because her skin was too scarred. The years of dealing with her father had left the skin on her back in poor shape. Instead, she had gotten the tattoos around her calves and in black, which no one in the Tiggular family objected to.

"Well a change of color in the tattoos may need to happen. Emir, please do bring that up to your father. I don't think the Yunamata will have a problem with that, but I rather be sure before we do anything," Fiyero said. Each Vinkun tribe had their own colors and symbols that they used to tattoo their members. The symbols were the more important of the two, but colors also played an important role.

"I will check with him," Emir promised.

"I will go with you, if you want," Zara said.

"Of course. Perhaps Mother will have an idea that works," he smiled at her. Then he scooped up her hand and kissed her knuckles. The last thing he wanted was for her to be uncomfortable because of her skin color. He loved her just the way she was, though he knew that she was still self-conscious about it at times.

"Glad we have that settled for the moment. What news from Bonescraper?" Semir asked.

"He just wanted to know if we needed him. There was something bothering him, but I didn't press it. He is the last of his kind and I'm sure that he is constantly reminded of it," Elphaba said.

"Is there anything we can do to help him?" Zara wondered.

"I may have a great many powers, but I cannot bring back a mostly extinct species," her mother heaved a sigh.

"True but we are Dragon Lords. Could we not put out a call to any dragons and see if they answer?" Zara asked.

"Dragons are a different kind of creature. While Bonescraper has proven himself to be loyal and helpful, other dragons could be treacherous and destructive. As Dragon Lords, they must obey us, but they won't listen to anyone else. I can't take that chance. If Bonescraper didn't find any other dragons on his journeys, then no matter how hard we try, we will not either. However, that doesn't mean I couldn't sift through my spell books and see what I can find," the Princess smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

Zara and Emir had gone off to visit Emir's parents and Semir was playing chess with his father after lunch. Elphaba headed off to the study to start digging through her spell books. There was a knock on the door and the Princess bade whoever was there to come in.

"Hi Auntie Elphie," Derya smiled as she entered the room. "Auntie" wasn't the actual term for their kinship but to be called "cousin" seemed odd to both of them, given the age difference between them.

"You haven't called me that in a long time young lady. Needing something?" Elphaba looked up over her glasses and top of the book. Regrettably her eyes were starting to make reading glasses necessary.

"Whatever could you mean?" Derya wanted to know.

"You're trying to butter me up. Though I must admit, you usually try your mother first. Given her lack of proximity however…" Elphaba raised an eyebrow and set the book down on her lap.

"All right, all right, I give," Derya collapsed into a nearby chair.

"You know you can tell me anything. What's wrong?" The green woman stood up from her chair and put her book down before moving over to her young cousin. She crouched down, putting her hands on the chair's arms, effectively surrounding

"We've been through so much but now I worry I'm just dragging Izzy around," the young woman said.

"What do you mean? You two will be heading to Shiz once it reopens. For as long as I've known Izzy, she has wanted to go to Shiz, to follow in her mother's footsteps," Elphaba told her.

"I know but she doesn't seem so enthusiastic about it now. I don't know if it's because she's afraid that we won't get to be us or if it's because of something else. Every time I try to bring it up, she changes the subject," Derya frowned.

"Ah I see. A little odd she wouldn't open up to you…" this concerned Elphaba. Izzy had a habit of internalizing everything, a trait she must have inherited from her father. Glinda didn't internalize much.

"Could you talk to her? I can't ask Zara, she has enough on her plate," Derya said.

"I think I have a better idea," Elphaba smiled.

"Semir," Derya said.

"He was the first to know her secret. Perhaps he can help. He's playing chess with his father, perhaps you can pry him away before dinner," the green woman told her as she stood up, realizing her knees were getting old too.

"A good idea. Thanks very much," Derya smiled. She popped up out of the chair and headed for the door while Elphaba went back to her spell books. The door to the study closed and once again it was quiet. There was a thought in the back of her head that said, _too quiet_. She waved it away. They were due for some quiet time. Something her family rarely enjoyed. Tomorrow was a big day for Semir and she was glad that the weather would be cooperating.

Meanwhile, Bart was appreciating the progress made by the people of the Gillikin. The better weather had allowed the pace to be picked up but at the rate they were going, he would be an old man before the capital was rebuilt. It wasn't that they didn't have the craftsman, they were running out of supplies. In an attempt to avoid another disaster, they'd been using stone rather than wood. Now it looked like they wouldn't have a choice but to go to wood.

"Semir's ceremony is tomorrow, are we going?" Nori interrupted his thoughts. They were eating dinner together and then both had hoped for a relaxing evening before leaving in the morning for the Vinkus.

"Yes. I need to speak to the King regarding our supply issues," Bart told her.

"Business during his grandson's big day? Somehow, I'm not sure that'll fly," she gave him a look.

"Well I'll see what I can do. We need to figure this out or we're back to making a flammable capital," Bart admitted.

"Yeah, let's not do that again," Nori shook her head. The two settled into their chairs and dinner was brought out. They were beginning to enjoy when shouting could be heard outside.

"What's going on?" Nori asked. The two went to the windows and that's when they saw the shadow flying above the clouds.

"Bonescraper?" Bart wasn't sure why the dragon would be making an unscheduled stop in Gillikin. That's when they heard a roar.

"I don't think that's Bonescraper…" Nori swallowed.


	4. Chapter 4

Bart rushed outside. He had begged Nori to stay inside but she had refused and followed him out. They looked skyward trying to figure out what could be making that noise and they soon got their answer.

"Clear the area! Hide!" Bart yelled to people who had stopped nearby. They quickly scattered – some heading to the nearby woods, others jumped into doorways. The buildings would not offer them much protection against a dragon's breath. For that was what they were dealing with. The shape above the clouds was undeniable – it was a dragon.

"How is this possible?" Nori asked as they ducked back inside the doorway. The creature didn't seem interested in them, but Bart was unsure of how long that would last.

"I have no idea. I thought Bonescraper said he was the last one," he told her.

"What are we going to do?" She was afraid and she had every right to be. They had no defense against a fire-breathing creature – there was no one there who had magical powers.

"I don't know but we have to do something. No one knows we're in trouble," Bart shook his head. This had the potential to get ugly in a hurry. Suddenly they were joined by someone in the doorway. It was one of Bart's security guards, Samuel.

"Lord Bart, there is nothing we can do. We need to stay alive to warn someone. If we're dead, the only warning they'll get will be too late," Samuel told him. He'd seen the look on the young man's face, and he knew what it meant. Still Bart was concerned that everyone at Shiz was in danger. One good spout of fire from the dragon and Gillikin will be once again be devastated.

Suddenly there was another roar, one that was a little more familiar. Bart looked at Nori who looked right back at him. Was another dragon really going to help the situation? A belch of fire lit up the skies and Nori bunched herself up as tightly as she could. The survival of the burning of UpTown had scarred her and Bart quickly tried to comfort her. They were stuck here until the dragons finished duking it out.

Meanwhile, Elphaba had a sudden headache. She doubled over now knowing why this pain had hit her so quickly. It felt like it would split her head in two. Screaming out, the green woman couldn't focus enough to use her powers to try and stop what was happening.

The door to the study flew open. The Princess's cries had alerted someone nearby that she was in trouble but she couldn't look up to see who it was. Words were tossed around but the pain eventually caused Elphaba to pass out.

"Something very wrong is going on. I can't wake her and I don't know what caused her to call out," Doctor Brown shook his head while talking to the King and Queen. Queen Ayla had been the one to find Elphaba. Fiyero held his wife's hand very concerned.

"We've got bigger problems, doctor. Zara was just brought in by Emir and his parents. She was complaining of unbearable pain in her head before she too passed out. They're on their way up here now. Lieutenant Bahram is with them," a guard by the name of Hasan announced.

"What could be affecting them both?" King Tahir asked.

"Something with their magic. It has to be," Fiyero shook his head.

"Make way!" Bahram shouted. Everyone cleared the path and two soldiers helped Zara into the nearby bed.

"I've got the Flying Monkeys trying to see if anything in the area is off. I've also sent word to Lady Glinda," Bahram told the royals.

"Good Lieutenant. Thank you," Queen Ayla said.

"All right, I must ask that we remove as many people as possible from the infirmary. All of my patients need their rest and I cannot condone disrupting them," Doctor Brown told the group.

"Fiyero, Emir, stay here. The rest of us will convene and see if we can develop any leads," King Tahir ordered. With that, everyone else filed out of the room.

"They will wake up, won't they?" Emir asked.

"I will do my best dear boy," Doctor Brown promised.


	5. Chapter 5

"There's another dragon!" Chistery came bursting into the infirmary only forty minutes after he and the other Monkeys had been sent out. Elphaba and Zara had woken up after fifteen minutes, but Doctor Brown had no idea how that was possible. Both women were woozy and could not stand on their feet. Instead they were propped up on pillows into the sitting position in their infirmary beds.

"How is that possible?" Fiyero asked.

"Lord Bart and an untold number of civilians are pinned down while Bonescraper fights him," Chistery explained.

"That's not good. We must help them," Elphaba said.

"How? You can't even stand up," her husband gave her a look.

"We must try and use our Dragon Lord abilities. My guess is that this haze we are stuck in must be being caused by the presence of this second dragon and that is why Doctor Brown's cures are not working. If I tried to magically heal us, it could bounce back and do more damage than whatever is going on now," the elder green woman said.

"Why don't only one of you try? If you both pass out again, we don't know what will happen," Emir said.

"That's a good idea. Perhaps once one of us makes first contact, the second one could then move on from there. I need to get to an open-air spot," Elphaba told them. Chistery quickly got to her bedside and Fiyero helped her up.

"I don't like this," he said.

"We can't let this unknown dragon win. They could kill Bart and thousands of others in the Gillikin. A little discomfort on my part is a small part to play," she refused to be sidelined despite her condition.

"What do you think you are doing?" Doctor Brown approached them before they'd managed to stand Elphaba up.

"There is another dragon and Lord Bart is in trouble!" Chistery told him.

"How is the Princess going to help in her condition? She is my patient and I'll not put her life in danger," Brown put his foot down.

"We don't have time Doctor. I must do this and do this now. If I do nothing, the Vinkus could be next," with that Elphaba leaned heavily on Chistery and the Monkey flew out the door with her.

"Hang in there Miss Elphaba," Chistery pleaded as they flew toward the first balcony that he could think of. She only numbly nodded. The nausea was getting worse, but she had to hold on, at least until they reached the balcony. Finally, Chistery made his way to the balcony where the royals would typically make their royal announcements.

When they made their way out of the door, it was like the world suddenly righted itself. Elphaba was no longer dizzy or nauseous. Not sure why but at the moment not really caring, Elphaba shouted out in the language that only dragons could understand.

"Do you think it worked?" Chistery asked when she finished her message.

"Only way to find out is to hear them coming. Ready the troops. We may need them," she said. Chistery nodded and swooped down off the balcony, down to the warning bell mounted in the middle of the courtyard. He rang it. Troops came flying out of every space that they had been previously occupying.

"Man the walls! Weapons at the ready! Dragons incoming!" Chistery shouted. At this the troops stopped and turned to him, completely confused.

"You heard me! Man the walls! Weapons at the ready!" Chistery berated them and they moved double time toward the walls. That's when they heard it. The roar of dragons.


	6. Chapter 6

The two dragons landed just outside the Palace walls. They had stopped fighting but their eyes were trained on the balcony where Elphaba stood, trying to look as imposing as she could. Despite having been proven innocent of the Wizard and Morrible's accusations, the Princess could still make even the most brave of soldiers fear her wrath. The look seemed to be a leftover of her time on the run.

"What are you doing?" Elphaba barked at both of them in the language only they could understand.

"Princess, I only wished to defend Lord Bart and the innocents in the Gillikin," Bonescraper spoke first.

"And I commend you for it. What does your foe have to say for himself?" Elphaba's focus turned to the second dragon. The mythical creature was a dark emerald green with strips of his scales being an unmistakable gold. It was an interesting contrast to the brilliant reds that adorned Bonescraper's scales.

"I am Feilong. I had no intention of fighting mighty Princess. I must confess I was surprised by the appearance of another. I could have sworn that my brothers and sisters were the last of our kind," the green dragon responded.

"Where have you come from? Your brother dragon also thought he was alone," Elphaba wasn't sure if this second dragon could be trusted. Bonescraper had said that he'd searched far and wide and had not found any other dragons.

"I am from a faraway land in the East. I doubt that he flew that far. It is on the other side of the planet," Feilong explained. Elphaba decided that she wanted to know more.

"Why did you leave home?" She asked.

"Back home, our numbers are dwindling. Once we were revered but now we are hunted. Myself, and a few others, hoped to find somewhere we could go to be free and unbothered. I was surprised to find such an expanse of land once I crossed the water and was then noticing the fact that it was inhabited," the green dragon told her.

"You have entered the Land of Oz. The territory that you were seen fighting over was the Gillikin. Now, you are in the Vinkus, where I am Princess. I cannot offer you a home without first consulting with the rest of the country. While that is discussed, you may temporarily reside outside the Palace walls. Bonescraper, please keep our guest company," with that Elphaba headed back inside. She was immediately met by Fiyero and Chistery.

"So was Bonescraper lying? This Feilong could be lying. How do we tell?" Fiyero wanted to know.

"Feilong's story could be true but I find it hard to believe that Bonescraper had not flown as far as he could, in order to find more of his own kind," Elphaba frowned.

"What did Feilong mean by planet?" Chistery asked.

"The word means 'a celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a star'. Our star is the sun and we orbit around it. It seems that Shiz left out a few details when discussing our planet, though," the Princess frowned.

"I never learned of any countries outside of us and our neighbors. There are other countries outside of the Nonestic Ocean?" Fiyero was confused.

"There must be. Feilong is not a water dragon," his wife shook her head.

"Is there any way to confirm that?" Chistery wondered.

"I must consult my spell books. Is Zara better? I may need her help," Elphaba said.

"She is better. The minute the dragons landed, whatever was going on in her head cleared up," Fiyero told her.

"Another thing to look up in my spell books. In the meantime, contact Glinda, talk to your parents, and get word to Bart. We need all hands on deck for this one," she said.


	7. Chapter 7

"What does the Grimmerie say?" Zara asked. She had joined her mother in the study and was trying to help find a way to discern what was true and what was not. Queen Ayla had promised to be back, there was something she had that might be able to help but she'd been gone for a while now.

"The Grimmerie is once again playing coy. The wording is tricky as usual and, of course, if we pick the wrong one…" Elphaba shook her head. Zara was able to read the Grimmerie but it did not come as easily to her as it did her mother.

"Right. Well every book I've read so far shows no spell for determining geography or telling whether a dragon is speaking the truth," the younger woman heaved a sigh.

"I was afraid of that. The Grimmerie would appear to be our best bet," her mother said. That's when the Queen entered the room, an old dusty tome in her hands.

"What is that?" Zara asked as Ayla put the book down on one of the study's small tables.

"This was handed down from the Arjiki's first Chief, Abdülkadir. Back when dragons were plentiful and relations between them and humans were not always on the best terms. Abdülkadir's wife, Ece, could actually speak to the dragons and they seemed to listen to her. The couple brought the dragons to the capital and an agreement was struck. The dragons would stop attacking human settlements and the humans would stop attacking dragon nests. They promised to find a way to live together in peace. The other tribes agreed, though I'm not sure if that was out of fear of the dragons or fear of what Ece could order the dragons to do," Ayla explained.

"How is Fiyero related to Abdülkadir?" Elphaba asked.

"Well that is a little tricky. The first Chief lived hundreds of years ago. The family tree tends to get confusing around the Great War," the Queen admitted. The Great War had been fought between the tribes of the Vinkus, with dragons on all sides. By the end, the war had brought the tribes of the Vinkus together so that they could be one country. While some did not give up their wandering lifestyle at first, towns and villages sprung up for the rest who decided solid roofs and farming sounded like a good idea.

"Yes, I imagine it does. We almost lost everything to the Wizard as well," Elphaba nodded. The Wizard had tried to stir up trouble in the Vinkus. He wanted the Arjiki troops for his own, knowing that the Vinkun troops could easily defeat the Gale Force if they decided to. He figured in order to do so Fiyero would need to be appointed to the Captain of the Gale Force position. Once he held that position, it would mean that the Vinkuns would follow him. This was all made easier, since at the time, the Prince was dating Glinda. Luckily, the plan never came to fruition.

"So this book will tell us more about the dragons?" Zara wanted to know.

"Yes but you'll need gloves to turn the pages. I'm afraid that the book is falling apart, despite our best efforts to keep it whole," Ayla told them.

"We can remedy that. A spell to protect the book should allow us to handle it and not ruin anything," Elphaba quickly chanted a spell and cast it on the book. Regrettably, the spell caused the dust on the book to fly into the air, leading to coughing, hacking, and sneezing by the ladies.

"I wasn't expecting that," the Princess admitted.

"I'll handle the dragon book. We still need to find a spell to confirm geography," Zara said.

"We need more hands. Can you fetch Izzy and Derya? The pile over there hasn't been looked at yet," Elphaba pointed to a pile of books that was stacked up on the floor. Her daughter nodded and quickly headed out into the hallway.

"How many spell books do you have?" Ayla raised an eyebrow.

"You remember that package I got from Shiz a few years back? It contained Morrible's spell books from her office. Seems Shiz didn't want them and hadn't wanted to clean out her office until they actually needed it. I've never consulted them because I can read the Grimmerie but that doesn't mean there isn't something good in there. The fish woman had been collecting books much before I was born," Elphaba said.

"Should we trust them?" The Queen wondered.

"That seems to be a trend around here lately doesn't it?" Her daughter-in-law asked.


	8. Chapter 8

"So brother, you fiercely protect these people, why?" Feilong asked. They were still waiting to hear from Elphaba and the silence between them for the last few hours had been deafening.

"I protect them because without them, I would cease to exist. We had our own trouble with humans here but these are the people who spoke out. These are the people who promised to be different and they have kept their word, so I keep mine," Bonescraper told him, not wanting to give too much away.

"Makes sense. I must have given you a heart attack then," the green dragon nodded.

"Quite. The Gillikin is recovering from a civil war and the last thing the capital needed was to be burnt to the ground again," Bonescraper said.

"Oh that explains why they scattered so quickly," Feilong nodded again.

"How did you not feel the Princess? That is part of why I came out of hiding. I could sense her," the red dragon wanted to know.

"I did not until I entered what you called Oz. Perhaps my home is too far away from here to feel the Dragon Lord. The Princess must be very special. I have not seen anyone with the skin color to match mine," the newcomer said.

"She has had much grief in her life because of her skin, though she does not talk about it," Bonescraper admitted.

"Isn't it just like humans to tear each other apart? If you have seen what I have seen brother, you would not hold these humans in such high esteem," Feilong shook his head.

"They are a flawed bunch to be sure but so are we. We thought we were invincible but look where our arrogance and avarice had gotten us. We, as a species, are almost gone. I am the last dragon on this entire island. I flew for miles outside its borders and never found any other land. How far east do you live?" The red dragon asked.

"Well that is a story to tell. I was about to give up when I stumbled onto this island. I flew for two days to reach here. My wings are not as large as yours," Feilong heaved a sigh.

"Two days?" Bonescraper found it hard to believe.

"I was incredibly tired and I worried I would end up in the ocean. As it was, I slept on the beach for a long while before I headed further inland," the green dragon explained.

"Do the people where you're from look like the people here?" Bonescraper wondered.

"They are much different. Their eyes are more almond shaped and most have black hair. They are not very tall and depending on their job, their skin tone can vary from very pale to a yellowish brown. You have a much more diverse bunch here," Feilong told him. Bonescraper nodded but didn't say anything.

"What is that?" The green dragon could see something sparkling in the distance and he pointed to it.

"That would be Lady Glinda. She is ruler of all Oz," Bonescraper explained.

"What is she travelling in?" Feilong wasn't sure he could believe his eyes.

"A bubble. It is her preferred method of transport," the red dragon said.

"Magic? Real magic?" the green dragon seemed very surprised.

"Yes. You don't have it back home?" Bonescraper was just as surprised.

"They have lost the art of magic. True magic at least," Feilong shook his head.

"Then you are in for a real treat," the red dragon smiled. Glinda's bubble zipped past them and landed on the Palace wall. The soldiers there quickly saluted, and she smiled at them. She then turned and looked at the two dragons. They moved closer so that she would not have to yell.

"I received word from Princess Elphaba that we had a visitor. Welcome. I am Lady Glinda, ruler of Oz," the blonde smiled.

"Humbled to meet you Lady Glinda. I am Feilong. I await the Princess' and your judgement," he smiled. Glinda nodded, turned and headed to find her friend.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays!

"Never a dull moment with you people. I mean planning a wedding wasn't enough," Glinda said as she was led into the study where Elphaba, Zara, Ayla, Izzy, and Derya were still pouring over the spell books.

"Well you know it isn't a party unless you're here, Glin," Elphaba commented without looking up from the Grimmerie.

"While that's true, I'd love a regular party sometime," the blonde chuckled.

"When this is all over, I promise," her friend looked up from the book.

"So the location spell hunt still continues?" Glinda wanted to know.

"We found one of those. Actually, we confirmed the home of Feilong does indeed exist. Our search has moved onto making sure that our new dragon friend is actually telling the truth. Even though Zara and I can somewhat control them as Dragon Lords, we can't force them to tell the truth," Elphaba frowned.

"Oh I don't think even Morrible had a spell for that. I still can't believe you have her books and are touching them," the blonde shook her head.

"I wouldn't be if we weren't in the situation we're in. That woman only knew how to invoke pain and death under the pretend smile she wore," Elphaba involuntarily shivered.

"I didn't know her personally like you did but considering what she put Oz through, I believe it," Ayla spoke up.

"So how do you make a dragon, known for their silver tongues, and penchant to only do what is good for them, tell you the truth?" Glinda wondered.

"The truth serum spell that you and Mom used before is geared toward people, not dragons. We couldn't be sure if a bigger, more potent batch would do what we need, so what if we both face him?" Zara asked.

"Two Dragon Lords for the price of one? Maybe. But what if we don't make Feilong tell the truth but make us the lie detector?" Elphaba had an idea.

"That sounds like it may be the only way to be certain. Though I can't remember learning a spell like that at Shiz," Glinda admitted.

"Well there was no way that Morrible would have taught it to us," her friend pointed out. Glinda nodded, Elphaba was once again right.

"I think I found a spell like that earlier," Derya spoke up.

"Of course you did. I see your mother in you all the time Ya," Ayla smiled at her niece. Derya blushed and handed the book over to Elphaba. The green woman quickly flipped to the page that her young relative noted and read the spell. She frowned and then handed it to Glinda.

"What do you think Glin?" Elphaba wondered.

"I think it's worth a shot and a long hot bath afterwards," the blonde nearly gagged from touching one of Morrible's books.

"Well then why don't we test it on me? If something goes sideways, we can't have the Princess of the Vinkus having issues when there are possibly more dragons afoot," Zara said.

"We'll do no such thing. I will perform the spell. Feilong doesn't know about you and we may need to keep it that way," Elphaba told her.

"What if Bonescraper told him about me?" Zara asked.

"We'll hit that bridge when we get there," her mother said before quickly performing the spell.

"Now we just need a test," Glinda said.

"Ok so Emir thinks I'm ugly," Zara told her – it was a blatant lie, but it should have been enough to trigger the spell.

"A tad trippy but I think we're good," Elphaba said.

"How so?" Glinda asked.

"The truth actually shows up – like I can see it but obviously you can't," the green woman explained.

"Then better test it before it expires," the blonde helped her up and they headed out to the balcony.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!

"Gentlemen, before we render a decision. I have some questions," Elphaba stood on the Palace wall and called out to the two dragons.

"That is to be expected. Please ask and I will do my best to answer," Feilong bowed his head.

"How many of you are there?" The Princess asked.

"Seven besides me," Feilong responded. The spell agreed with him.

"And you all are looking for sanctuary here in Oz?" Elphaba wanted to know.

"Yes," Feilong nodded.

"In order to live amongst us, you must be able to coexist. No eating farm animals or humans. No destruction of property. You must live by the laws of these lands and realize that no one, no matter their species, is above the law. Do you think that your group can do that?" It was a big ask but if there was any waiver, then she would know.

"We do not currently share what you and Bonescraper do. The seeds of distrust have been sown so while I cannot speak to my colleagues, I personally have found inspiration here. I look forward to trying to find a new life, if you so allow it," again his words rang true.

"That is a shame. Not long ago we ourselves had a crisis of conscience – as country we had to remember what was important to us and what is right. Your friends must have that same crisis of conscience. You must decide because if one of you betrays us, you all betray us. Do you think that unfair?" Elphaba was not leaving room for anything in that question.

"I don't think so but I cannot speak to my colleagues," this dragon either did not know how to lie or he just decided it was in his best interest not to. The Vinkun troops were still stationed at the walls – looking formidable as they always did.

"Well I think then we need all the information from your colleagues. I know that they are in a bad position back in your home country but we cannot welcome them here until an accord can be struck. Is there a place we can meet? Neutral ground?" Elphaba asked.

"I know of none between here and there. Perhaps the only way to do so is to meet over the ocean?" Feilong shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll consult with Glinda and the other leaders of Oz. In the meantime, Bonescraper, please make sure our guest has eaten," she smiled before heading back inside the Palace.

"So what do you think?" Ayla asked, once her daughter-in-law entered the main dining room. The leaders of the Vinkus and Glinda had assembled there. Semir's ceremony had been delayed – the people of the village were more than happy to wait until the dragon issue was resolved.

"In a word, oi," Elphaba collapsed into the nearest chair.

"Yeah that sounds about right," Fiyero reached out to her and took her left hand in his right hand.

"They heavily outnumber us. What do we do if they decide that they want to trick us?" Tahir raised an eyebrow.

"That is my main concern. Even as a Dragon Lord and with Zara's help, I'm not sure that we could take on eight dragons. Bonescraper certainly couldn't take them on either," Elphaba shook her head.

"We need to tread carefully. One wrong move and Oz will be no more," Tahir said.

"I agree. We need the Quadlings, Munchkins, and Glinda's parents here on the double," Fiyero told the room.

"I'll get letters out immediately," Chistery nodded and he quickly went to the aviary where he found the royal messengers. The Birds quickly flew out, heading for their destination. This would be the biggest test of Oz as a whole. Elphaba quickly went to her crystal ball; they needed some magical back up. Queen Zixi would probably be interested in their situation.


	11. Chapter 11

It would be three days before all of the leaders from the rest of Oz arrived. Some of them had long trips and that was as fast as they could get there. Mopsi Pipt had risen to the rank of Head Munchkin and he was there along with River, who was still leading the Quadlings. Balfour had arrived from the Emerald City, leaving Khalil in charge while he was gone.

"We're only missing Queen Zixi and your parents," Elphaba said, her attention turned to Glinda. The group had met in the smaller dining room so they could have the conversation that they needed to have.

"I just got word from Bart. Things are progressing in Up Town. My parents will be here soon," Glinda spoke up.

"Oh good. Dinner will be served in about an hour. Do we want to get started before Lord Arduenna, Lady Larena, and Queen Zixi gets here?" Fiyero asked.

"Let's convene in ten minutes. Maybe Queen Zixi will arrive at the same time as Lord Arduenna and Lady Larena," King Tahir said. Everyone seemed in agreement and Mopsi took the opportunity to speak to Elphaba.

"I hear that young Miss Zara is getting married," he said.

"She is. Emir is a fantastic young man and their marriage will make the bonds of the tribes stronger. He is Yunamata," Elphaba explained.

"Arranged?" Mopsi was wondering.

"Oh no. Fiyero and I would never do that to our children. Zara and Emir went to school together and they both danced around their feelings for a bit until the trouble with General Cherrystone," she told him.

"Yes I imagine that would be enough to get someone to speak their mind. I know that you don't have a great relationship with Munchkinland, myself excluded, I hope, but I wanted to offer something, if you're interested," Mopsi said.

"You are of course excluded. Mopsi, you are the best that Munchkinland has to offer, and I consider you a great friend. What were you thinking about?" Elphaba asked.

"I know that the Vinkus has their traditions and I wouldn't want to interfere with them but as part of the wedding gift, I was hoping that I could offer something that we found not too long ago," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little box which he handed to the Princess. Elphaba's eyes went wide when she opened the box. There was a necklace that she recognized inside – a silver teardrop with small emeralds and rubies in a circle in the middle, on a silver chain.

"One of my staff found it in a pawn shop. We're not sure how it got there but I thought it might belong to someone you knew. I couldn't be sure but given your reaction…" Mopsi stopped talking.

"It was my mother's. I assumed that Frex had given it to Nessa," the green woman said.

"He probably did which is why it probably lasted in the pawn shop so long. It is worth a lot of money and the pawn shop owner kept it in the back of the store until he decided he wanted to retire, and then everything was for sale," he explained.

"Oh Mopsi, thank you so much," the Munchkin was surprised when she wrapped her arms around him.

"You're more than welcome Miss Elphaba," Mopsi said, returning the hug. Fiyero had been half-listening to the conversation and half-listening to the one he'd been having with River of Quadling Country.

"We are sorry everyone. Bonescraper wanted to apologize for scaring everyone," Lord Arduenna explained.

"No problem. Queen Zixi has yet to arrive…" Glinda's sentence was interrupted by a large boom outside. Everyone ran to the windows and there in the courtyard stood Queen Zixi.

"She certainly knows how to make an entrance," Mopsi said.

"She doesn't look any older than the last time we saw her," River pointed out.

"That can't be it was almost twenty years ago," Elphaba shook her head but she admitted that River had a point. Zixi was very powerful but could she be that powerful? Another problem for another day, Elphaba thought.


	12. Chapter 12

"Princess, I do hate to disrupt you at this time but I was wondering how things were going," Bonescraper asked, from his position outside the royal bedroom. Conversation between the leaders of Oz and their guest, Queen Zixi, had gone on for quite some time with no consensus reached. Everyone had agreed that the next day would bring clearer heads and cooler heads. They weren't necessarily angry with each other, so much as the situation. So now, as Elphaba was prepping for bed and wrapped in a robe, stood on the balcony outside the bedroom. She could see that the dragon was nervous.

"They are going but this may take longer than I thought. Please explain to Feilong that we are not trying to delay, only reach something that all of us can agree to and then present to him," she said.

"Of course, your highness," Bonescraper smiled and nodded.

"How is our guest?" Elphaba asked.

"He seems to be amazed at how well we co-exist. I've been unable to detect anything that makes me concerned but one dragon does not a group of dragons make," he admitted.

"That seems to be a recurring theme lately," she nodded.

"Well it's an understandable one. If this decision is not thought of carefully…" the implication was there and they'd all been thinking it – one wrong move and Oz would be on fire.

"On that cheery thought, good night Bonescraper," Elphaba said.

"Good night Princess. Sleep tight," and with that he was gone. The green woman shut the balcony door and locked it.

"Sleep tight? He's got a sense of humor, doesn't he?" Fiyero said as he exited the bathroom. He'd heard everything that had gone on. Bonescraper tried to be quiet but how quiet dragons can really be was very much up for debate.

"I would agree. He's just being polite," Elphaba said as she removed her robe and climbed into bed.

"I know but geez. How are we supposed to sleep?" Fiyero wondered.

"I don't know," she admitted as she watched her husband get under the covers as well. Fiyero moved over to her and pulled her close.

"So Mopsi, knows how to get into your good graces doesn't he?" He asked.

"Mopsi has always been a good man. I have no idea how my mother's necklace survived this long but I can guess," Elphaba said.

"You think after Nessa's death, they raided the Governor's mansion," Fiyero said.

"Oh I imagine they did. Nessa drove everyone away so no one had love for the Thropp name anymore," she heaved a sigh.

"Maybe one of the servants knew it was your mother's and saved it until they needed the money?" He wondered.

"Could be. My mother was loved by many people and mourned by all of Munchkinland. After her death, it was the beginning of the end of the Thropp family. My father turned crueler toward me and less sympathetic to anyone not Nessa. Disdain in the Munchkin people was brewing long before Nessa turned it into hate," Elphaba said. Fiyero gave her a squeeze and kissed her temple.

"I think that giving Zara the necklace is a good idea. Your mother lives on in you and you live on in your daughter, so it seems only right to give her a piece of your mother to connect the generations," Fiyero told her.

"Just another reason I love you," she turned and kissed him on the lips. He returned the kiss a little hotter. Despite what felt like the world being on fire, the two made sure to make their own fire together.


	13. Chapter 13

It would be three more days before the group finally reached a consensus. Elphaba, Glinda, and Zixi now made their way to the Palace Walls and Bonescraper and Feilong quickly noticed the two royals.

"Have you reached a decision, your Highnesses?" Feilong asked.

"The countries of Oz and Ix have come to an arrangement. We hope that it will be satisfactory to your cohorts," Elphaba said.

"I will certainly take it to them if that makes things easier for us," he said.

"The economies and ecosystems of Oz and Ix cannot currently sustain nine dragons for the foreseeable future. Therefore, we are suggesting that some come to live here with Bonescraper, and others go to try their hand in Ix," the green woman explained.

"There is a good piece of land in Ix that is currently uninhabited by my people. It would allow for privacy and a nice way to slowly get used to having people around," Zixi spoke up.

"The people of Ix are used to magic? Are you a Dragon Lord?" Feilong wondered.

"I am not a Dragon Lord. As for my people, I am all the magic they need," she winked.

"And of course, as we previously discussed, everyone would be subject to the laws of the land they end up inhabiting," Elphaba said. Glinda had been awfully quiet considering she was the actual leader of Oz and it did not escape the dragons' notice.

"Would all of us stay in the Vinkus?" Bonescraper wanted to know.

"The Quadlings have offered up some of their territory and of course there is room here. You'll have to forgive the Gillikin. In their current state of rebuilding, they cannot assist. Of course, that may change in the future," Elphaba admitted.

"I believe that leaves the Munchkins out…" Bonescraper raised an eyebrow. He knew that Elphaba had her issues with Munchkinland.

"As much as Head Munchkin Mopsi would love to assist, the people of Munchkinland are quite resistant when it comes to the four-letter words known as change and different. Perhaps, they will soften once they see how well things go," the Princess said.

"Then we will work to change their opinion. I have great confidence in this alliance. Now, I will fly back to my current homeland and give my cohorts your proposal. How would you like to hear our answer? I imagine you wouldn't want us to just show up," Feilong seemed to be doing the best he could to be accommodating.

"Simple. I have created this magic letter. All you must do is breathe fire on it. Once you've done that, it'll show up here, meaning you've accepted. If the letter does not return, we know that you have not accepted our offer," Queen Zixi smiled and she sent the letter to him with a quick snap of her fingers.

"If we accept, then what?" Feilong wondered as he clenched the letter in his hand.

"Then we will expect you on the seventh day following the acceptance. All of you should come here and then we will decide who will go where," Elphaba let them know.

"This is agreeable to me. What if my friends would like to counter-offer?" he asked.

"I'm afraid that our deal is the only one on the table. I wish we could have more discourse, but I think we're all in a tough situation. We are willing to help if you are willing to try and coexist with us," Elphaba said.

"Understood. Thank you very much for this chance. I hope to see you soon," with that Feilong took to the skies and disappeared.

"That went well," Bonescraper smiled.

"I'll save my congratulations until we've seen what they say. I must prepare to alert the nation," they were Glinda's first words since they came outside.

"Her mind might not be in it, but we must prepare for the possibility that the dragons will just try and take what they want," Zixi said.

"Do you really think they'd do that?" Bonescraper asked.

"I think they have seen our numbers and know where we stand. While you are trustworthy Bonescraper, we do not know if they are, not yet," Zixi told him.

"Good thing we have an ace in the hole then," Elphaba said.

"Yes, let us prepare young Zara," the Queen of Ix nodded.


	14. Chapter 14

Elphaba had insisted that Semir get the party he deserved so they moved ahead with his tattoo ceremony, despite the dragon issue not being resolved. The people of the Vinkus were glad to have a distraction. The party and the tattoos were done with three days to spare before they expected the response to the letter.

Glinda had returned to the Emerald City and announced to the entirety of Oz the situation that they were in. The reactions were what was expected. There were those who liked the idea, those that hated the idea, and those that weren't sure how they felt.

The blonde had tried to assure them that things were in place and there should be nothing to worry about but there was no way for her to guarantee it. Some fears were eased when she mentioned Ix but not many of them. Balfour had backed her up and Khalil did as well. He'd taken the Vinkun approach to training and the Gale Force had become the elite fighting force it was always meant to be. Though they were still not as good as the actual Vinkun troops. It would take generations of soldiers to reach that level.

"Is Zara ready?" Balfour asked as they enjoyed dinner together.

"I'm sure Elphie will make sure that she is. Supposedly all dragons must obey a Dragon Lord. Since we have two, that should give us a leg up. Zixi didn't seem worried that Ix doesn't even have one, which has made me wonder what her back up plan is," Glinda admitted, sipping her wine.

"Plus we have Bonescraper," he said.

"Another level of protection it would seem but again that leaves our flank via Ix open," Glinda frowned.

"And you're worried that it could leave us vulnerable," Balfour understood her concern. Zixi was a wild card and so were the dragons.

"I just wish I knew her motivation," she said.

"She's as powerful as Elphaba but she doesn't have the ability to be a Dragon Lord. Last I checked the dragons could just thumb their noses at her," he said.

"True, which could cause feelings of resentment if they only listen to Elphie or Zara," Balfour nodded.

"Exactly. She may lobby for Bonescraper to join her in Ix. He's loyal to Elphie so…" the blonde heaved a sigh.

"You think that she'd try to start a war over this?" He wondered.

"I have no idea. We never did learn why Zixi was so eager to help us with the Nomes, other than the fact that it benefitted her. It's not like we hold a lot of functions with Ix. We may be allies but mostly on paper," Glinda said.

"So do we have someone looking into Zixi?" Balfour was beginning to get concerned.

"Oh Elphie is on that. She and I had this discussion before I left, I'm just stewing. I do apologize Balfy. I just needed to get it off my chest," she admitted. He reached across the small table and took her free hand in his.

"Why have I had to pull stuff out of you then? You've been awfully quiet lately," he said.

"If this goes wrong, it won't just be a small mistake. People could die. I'm not sure that I can handle that. Everything is completely out of my hands," Glinda heaved a sigh.

"That's why I'm here. To help you handle it," Balfour said.

"History will judge us for what happens next," the blonde told him. It was dark, even for Glinda but she wasn't exactly wrong. However, Balfour wondered what had caused her to seemingly lose all of her hope. His thoughts swarmed. Perhaps what she needed was to visit her children. That might be best.


	15. Chapter 15

It happened that morning. The last three days had passed quickly and the letter arrived on the final day, right in the dining room, where everyone was eating breakfast. Elphaba swallowed and looked at her husband. He was a little green around the gills. His parents seemed calmer than she expected.

"Alert the people. Have them brace for what is coming. If this turns ugly, we'll need everyone of fighting age available to fight," Elphaba said.

"Agreed. You don't think your status would help quash anything they try?" Fiyero asked.

"I certainly hope it is enough. Do you think the Griffins will be here in time?" She wondered. They'd sent a message via Bird to the Griffins, but the Bird had yet to return and that was making them concerned.

"Prepare as if we're on our own with just you, Zara, and Bonescraper," he said. Elphaba nodded – he was right. Quickly Fiyero got up and headed out into the hallway where he alerted the solider guarding the door to tell everyone that a royal announcement would be forthcoming in the next thirty minutes. The soldier popped off down to the hall to spread the word. Fiyero returned to his seat and took Elphaba's nearest hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

"All right we have seven days, let's get to work," King Tahir told them. Queen Zixi had been quiet but quickly spoke up,

"I will return to my people and warn them as well. I will check in on the Griffins on my way."

"Much appreciated your Highness," Queen Ayla smiled.

"Of course, all hands on deck," Zixi winked, then snapped her fingers and disappeared.

"Not sure about her hands…" Zara spoke up.

"Yes, well I have yet to have any luck with proving she's anything then what she says she is," Elphaba shook her head.

"What did Vice Ruler Ozma have to say?" Ayla wanted to know.

"Her family goes back many years and she is certain that one of her cousins had indeed travelled to Ix, but her mother has yet to find the diaries that the cousin kept of her travels. I should have asked Ozma sooner, but I didn't think we'd ever have to deal with her in a deal like this. Mutual aid is one thing, but actual binding contracts is another," the Princess heaved a sigh.

"She's given us no reason not to trust her, other than the fact that she's been less than forthcoming with details about herself and her kingdom," Lieutenant Bahram pointed out.

"I like to know as much as I can about my opponents and my allies. Leaves little room for error," Elphaba admitted.

"You cannot calculate everything, no matter how much you try," Fiyero chuckled.

"Can't hurt to try though," she said.

"Very true. Well we best make hay whilst the sun shines," Chistery hopped down off his chair and headed for the door.

"Please speak to Ash and see if he'll once again grace us with his presence," King Tahir said.

"So much for his retirement. I swear we had less trouble when he was on duty," Chistery smirked.

"Well there are not many of his caliber, present company excluded, of course," Ayla winked.

"At least we aren't chopped liver old chap," Bahram teased Chistery.

"There are worse things to be sure," the Flying Monkey chuckled. The room quickly emptied out, there was work to be done and not a lot of time to do it in.


	16. Chapter 16

The week went by fast. Now as noon approached, Elphaba paced on the Palace Wall, near the main gate, and Bonescraper was watching her intently. He hadn't said much but the Princess' anxiety was contagious.

"I'm getting dizzy watching you," he admitted from his spot outside the Palace Walls.

"Sorry," his words had finally gotten her to stop pacing.

"I understand your concern," Bonescraper said. Queen Zixi, the Griffins, and the Bird that had been sent to find the Griffins, Tsavi, had not been seen. A week of total silence from Zixi was certainly concerning but it had been more than a week since Tsavi had left the Vinkus.

"If you're wondering about the Griffins, I am as well. One would have thought they would have sent Tsavi back to us, no matter their answer," he was frowning.

"That does bother me. Just add it to the pile," Elphaba shook her head.

"Perhaps it would be best to try and breathe. The last thing you want is to convey your fear. You are a Dragon Lord. You don't know fear," Bonescraper told her.

"I was the Wicked Witch. You'd think fear would have completely left me by now," she heaved a sigh.

"That was before you had people who cared for you. When you thought you were alone, there was no point in fear. You have a family and friends and a country that loves you. It gives you a different perspective," he said.

"He speaks the truth Princess," former Lieutenant Ash pointed out as he approached her.

"Word from Gillikin?" She wondered.

"No, my Princess. I just thought I'd check on you and give you an update. Chistery and his brothers and sisters are running last minute checks. Prince Fiyero and Lieutenant Bahram are prepping the troops. We want to be friendly, but the weapons are stashed nearby. The King and Queen are ready to be whisked away to the safety of the bunker. Seems the Kings and Queens before them were just as concerned about things as you are," Ash explained.

"I can't imagine they really want to use that bunker," Elphaba gave him a look.

"You would be correct but the Vinkus must live on and it will do so through the King and Queen. The rest of her citizens must be led to victory," he said.

"So, you guys are expendable? Ouch," Bonescraper spoke up.

"We are the first line of defense and as such must be willing to lay down our lives to save the rest of the Vinkus. It is a time-honored tradition," Ash told him.

"You guys take your love of country quite seriously," the dragon said.

"You do not?" Ash asked.

"My allegiance is to the Vinkus but since the Princess is a Dragon Lord, I have no choice to obey her. Dragons do not get much say in the Dragon Lord they must follow. Not all are as wise and good hearted as Miss Elphaba," Bonescraper pointed out.

"Quite right. Miss Elphaba is one of a kind," Ash smiled.

"Down boys, I'm taken," she teased to which they both chuckled.

"We must hope for a positive outcome," Elphaba continued.

"Yes, we must," Bonescraper nodded. He suddenly perked up and turned his head in the direction of the Gillikin. That's when they heard the bell at the far wall ring.

"Moment of truth," Elphaba swallowed.

"Incoming from Ix!" one of the soldiers shouted. Everyone turned their heads to see dark figures in the sky.

"Griffins!" another soldier shouted.

"Talk about timing," Bonescraper said. Elphaba said nothing but she began to wonder if they'd just boxed themselves in.


	17. Chapter 17

"Altan! It is good to see you my friend! Tsavi, glad to have you back," Elphaba smiled as the Griffins landed next to the Princess. Tsavi landed on the wall nearby.

"Glad to be back Princess," Tsavi smiled. The eagle was definitely glad to be back. It had been an interesting time with the Griffins.

"It is good to see you Princess. I am sorry for our late arrival. Kelebek was not well and could not travel until today," he said.

"I'm sorry to hear it. Are you feeling better Kelebek?" Elphaba asked.

"Much, thank you Princess," she smiled. No longer the smallest Griffin, Kelebeck had blossomed into a full-grown Griffin.

"I hear that you have dragons incoming," Altan said.

"We do. One seems very excited to move here from their homeland, which has become less than friendly to their kind. We have not met the others and a show of strength will hopefully be enough to ward off any troubles," Elphaba explained.

"Is Queen Zixi here?" Bahadir wondered.

"She said she was going to talk to you and then return but we have not seen her in almost a week," the Princess admitted.

"That is troublesome," Lale spoke up.

"We would agree," Fiyero had come up behind them, the troops were ready, and he wanted to join his wife.

"Prince Fiyero, it is good to see you. She did in fact stop by to see us but then she said she had business she needed to attend to in the capital," Filiz told them.

"We have yet to figure her out. I certainly hope she is back before the dragons arrive," Elphaba said.

"Well without her, we will stand by your side and Bonescraper. How is Chistery?" Altan asked.

"He is well. They are relaying the message from the Gillikin, when the dragons can be seen. They should arrive just before them, so we won't have a lot of leeway," Elphaba explained.

"Then we'd best prepare. Where do you need us?" Altan wanted to know.

"Right here. The sooner they see you, the better. Do you need food or drink?" Fiyero asked.

"A little something may be a good idea," Bahadir let them know.

"I'll have the men bring something over," former Lieutenant Ash smiled and then headed off to get sustenance for their guests. Not long after he left, Zara and Emir approached and Kelebeck had a huge smile on her face.

"Young Zara!" the youngest Griffin was glad to see her.

"It has been a long while. I'm not so young anymore. This is my fiancé, Emir," Zara smiled as she introduced the young man next to her.

"It is an honor to meet you. You must be special to have won the young Duchess's heart," Altan smiled.

"I am the lucky one," Emir smiled back.

"Well when is the happy wedding day?" Lale asked.

"Things are a little on hold until things are all settled with our new visitors," Zara admitted.

"Understandable," Altan nodded. A few soldiers arrived carrying food and drink for the Griffins.

"Rest up. Hopefully we'll hear soon from Chistery and his brethren," Elphaba said. They had no idea how soon they would hear and what was coming.


	18. Chapter 18

Just thirty minutes after Elphaba had mentioned Chistery, the Flying Monkey and his comrades filled the skies. The Princess called for Zara to join her atop the Palace wall; while Fiyero and Semir made sure that the troops were into position. No one had heard from Queen Zixi yet and that was certainly disconcerting.

"Chistery, they are not far behind you. Make sure you all get some water and then report back here," Elphaba told him.

"Right away," he nodded and quickly he and the others went to get some water. They passed King Tahir and Queen Ayla as they made their way up to where Elphaba and Zara stood.

"I can feel my heart in my throat," Zara said.

"I understand the feeling, but you must try to calm down. The dragons will smell you anxiety," her mother said, pulling her into a hug.

"I wish that Emir was here," Zara admitted.

"I know but his father needed him with his tribe. I also know that he would want to be standing by you instead," Elphaba winked before kissing her on the forehead. Her daughter half-smiled.

"So, I didn't miss the fun, did I?" Suddenly, Queen Zixi just appeared next to the royals.

"Sweet Oz! You're going to give someone a heart attack doing that," Queen Ayla said, grabbing her chest. King Tahir tried to catch his breath.

"Sorry. I got engrossed in my spell books," the leader of Ix said.

"Well we're glad you're here. Dragons are inbound any minute now, your Majesty," Altan spoke up after he managed to recover his own shock.

"Talk about timing," Zixi was surprised.

"What were you looking up in your spell books?" Zara asked.

"I was hoping to find a way to turn myself into a Dragon Lord. Once I take some of the dragons home with me, they will still only listen to you," the Queen pointed out.

"I was concerned about that, but I didn't think there was a spell to turn yourself into one," Elphaba said.

"There isn't. It would appear that your unique circumstance is the only way to do it," Zixi said. Then the horn located at the far corner of the Palace walls, closest to Gillikin, sounded.

"They've spotted them," Elphaba said.

"All right, let's do this," Zixi smiled slightly. Bonescraper took to the sky and indicated that the group was to land outside the Palace walls. He waited until they all landed before landing himself.

"Good dragons from afar! I am King Tahir of the Vinkus! We welcome you to our kingdom!" Tahir announced.

"It is an honor to be welcomed. I am Zhou and I lead what remains of our kind," the yellow dragon said, his tone not much louder than a human's voice. He had reddish brown scales mixed in with the yellow scales. Elphaba was surprised to see that he had no wings, but she knew that some dragons controlled the elements, which was how they moved about.

"We are glad that you have chosen to join us and live by the rules that we have set down. Tonight, we shall feast and, in the morning, Lady Glinda, ruler of all Oz will join us," the King explained, he'd lowered his tone, to match that of Zhou's.

"Excellent. Thank you," Zhou smiled and Elphaba got a chill up her spine. She could feel something was amiss but wasn't sure what. Bonescraper could feel her unease and gave Feilong a look. The dragon that had been friendly before now seemed quiet and reserved. Something was definitely up.


	19. Chapter 19

Elphaba hadn't wanted to play her cards all at once but she knew that the card she was about to play was probably not going to be a surprise. Her guess was that Feilong had told his cohorts what had transpired earlier. So imagine her surprise when she spoke in dragon to the group and the look on Zhou's face made it clear he was shocked.

"You have sworn a promise to not only the people you stand before now but also to the entirety of Oz and Ix. If there are doubts, air them now," she told them. Zara listened intently, wondering what response she would get.

"My Lady," Zhou bowed his head.

"Sir. I await your honest answer," the Princess would not beat around the bush.

"Honesty is interesting since we were not told that you were a Dragon Lord," Zhou countered.

"Feilong knew so it is not my problem he did not tell you. Given our meeting, my guess is that he had a good reason to hide what he knew to be true. So I say again, you if have doubts, air them now," Elphaba said. Her powers made her hands twitch. Things were tense to say the least. Whatever was going on where they came from had to be bad enough that they would agree to the terms laid out for them, however, while Feilong had not lied, Zhou seemed incredibly likely to lie.

"I believe the Princess has required an answer of you," Altan spoke up. Clearly, the Griffin's abilities knew no bounds.

"You must forgive my mistrust. Humans have tried before to gain our friendship and we have instead been met with armies, determined to kill us and steal what belongs to us," Zhou said, still not answering the question.

"This relationship only works on trust. I have fought tyrants, wizards, and witches, all for the people who stand here before you. I understand how easily trust can be eroded, so give me your answer," Elphaba was losing her patience and Zara was beginning to wonder if she should whisk her grandparents away to safety.

"No doubts, Princess," Zhou responded.

"Good," Elphaba said. She looked to the Griffins and the look on Altan's face did not betray his thoughts. Kelebeck, however, was a different story. The younger Griffin looked at the dragons. She was not reassured by the answer that Zhou had given and gave a sideways look to her mother, who only nodded. The unease could not be hidden.

"There won't be a lot of sleeping tonight," Fiyero murmured.

"I would concur. Increase the guard patrols. Altan, help Bonescraper," Elphaba murmured back and the Griffin nodded as slightly as he could. She needed to get a hold of Glinda and warn her to stay away. The blonde could be walking into a trap. Zixi seemed to agree and snapped her fingers. A piece of parchment appeared and the leader of Ix closed her eyes. Words appeared on the page and then with another snap of her fingers it was gone.

"Let us make sure that everyone has a good meal this evening," King Tahir's words broke the silence.

"Yes your Highness," Bonescraper bowed his head. Quickly Lieutenant Ash, ushered the royal family inside the Palace along with Queen Zixi. Fiyero pulled Ash aside and quickly explained to him to increase patrols. Bonescraper would notice the difference and hopefully he would stay on his toes, though they imagined he already was.

"We have dug ourselves a terrible hole," Ayla shook her head.

"We need to find out what happened to Feilong and then see how many dragons we have on our side," Elphaba said.

"We must prepare for war. My letter to Glinda told her to close all borders. Those that stand against us must not leave the Vinkus," Zixi spoke up.

"Agreed," King Tahir nodded.


	20. Chapter 20

There was a rapping on the glass of the balcony door in the middle of the night. Elphaba groaned and Fiyero slept right through it. The green woman had finally managed to get to sleep, her mind working overdrive, her body nearing the point of past exhaustion. The rapping continued and she climbed out of bed, grabbed her robe off the end of the bed, and headed toward the balcony door.

"Kelebeck, what's going on?" Elphaba asked, cinching her robe tight before stepping out onto the balcony, shutting the door behind her.

"Apologies Princess but Bonescraper has grave concerns. The happy Feilong we met previously is not the dragon we see before us now, as you might have noticed. He worries that somehow Zhou may be controlling him. Despite Bonescraper's best efforts, Feilong refuses to say what is going on with him," the younger Griffin explained.

"So if there is a fight, there is no way to tell which side he will listen to," Elphaba nodded.

"I'm afraid so Princess," Kelebeck frowned. Elphaba hugged her.

"Steel yourself. We may have a fight on our hands and I fear that it may be one we cannot win," the green woman said.

"If I must die then I would rather do it by your side than any other way," Kelebeck told her.

"You are very brave. I certainly hope that it does not come to that. I'd like to be able to celebrate my daughter's wedding. If it must be so, then I would be honored to be at your side as well. We must fight for the entirety of Oz and Ix," Elphaba said.

"Yes Princess, we must. Do you have any orders?" Kelebeck wanted to know.

"Just try to find out what has happened to Feilong. We are running out of moonlight and once the dawn comes, we do not know what it brings," the green woman told her.

"Yes Princess," with a quick nod, Kelebeck left the balcony. Elphaba stepped back inside and locked the balcony door.

"The bad news midnight express?" Fiyero asked, almost making Elphaba jump out of her skin.

"You scared me Yero. Yes indeed. I must head to the library. We may need me to enchant our troops," she said.

"You need to sleep. You not at one hundred percent reduces our chances of winning," he told her. She knew he was right – being only half-awake when dealing with dragons was a deadly proposition. Climbing into bed, Elphaba snuggled under the covers. Fiyero pulled her close, kissed her forehead, and fell back asleep. She swore that he could sleep through anything. Breathing a deep breath, she tried to do as her husband suggested and get some sleep.

Outside Bonescraper frowned after Kelebeck gave him the news. He nodded and she flew off to rejoin her family. He wasn't sure what else he could do to get the dragon to talk. Suddenly a piece of paper dropped out of the sky and the dragon quickly grabbed it. It would seem that the leader of Ix was not sleeping. It was confirmed earlier that Glinda had received the letter and would be complying with the wishes of those in the Vinkus so the message could not be that.

"Zhou must be threating Feilong's family. Hide them and perhaps you'll get the truth," the message read before disappearing. How could he hide them? Someone would notice if he tried something like that. Then Bonescraper got an idea.

Whistling to the Griffins, Bonescraper waited for a response. Bahadir arrived and Bonescraper quickly whispered to him the plan. At first the Griffin thought he was nuts but then he wondered if it would work. Quickly, Bahadir headed back to the other Griffins to explain.


	21. Chapter 21

The morning came quicker than what everyone would have hoped. While the sun was coming up there was a howl that was unmistakable – a parent in pain. Elphaba sprang out of bed and threw on her bathrobe. Moving out into the hallway, she was met by her in-laws and Fiyero bumped into her backside as he left their room, not expecting her to have stopped like that.

"What the hell was that?" Ayla asked.

"I have no idea," Elphaba admitted. The four of them traversed the hallway and quickly went out onto the balcony that was attached to the empty guestroom across the hall. Once outside, they could see the dragons forming a circle but around what they could not tell. Kelebeck flew toward them and landed on the balcony next to them.

"What has happened?" Fiyero was the first to ask.

"Bonescraper has enacted his plan. We must go with it," was all she said.

"What the hell does that mean?" Tahir gave her a look.

"It is a long story and I don't quite understand it all. My father and Bonescraper are the ones who started it," Kelebeck admitted.

"We left our home and now our son is dead! My Jiahao!" Feilong's wife, Shufen, cried. This caused the four humans to look at the Griffin standing next to him. She just shrugged, a look on her face that told them, she had no idea how that happened.

"Princess! We are in need of your help!" Bonescraper called out. She gave him a look before ducking back inside the palace and snapping her fingers. Her broom appeared from her room and she climbed onto it.

"What has happened?" Elphaba asked, floating next to Bonescraper.

"Poor young Jiahao must have had a condition that was aggravated by his long journey here. Can you help?" The dragon asked.

"I will see what I can do," Elphaba wanted to ask her dragon friend what the hell he was up to, but she knew that she better just go with it. Landing her broom next to the young dragon, she dismounted and looked him over. He looked very much like his father and had he not been smaller in stature, she would have gotten the two of them confused. Jiahao was on his feet, his stomach was curled up slightly off the ground. His head was tucked down so that his chin touched the ground. It seemed like quite the unnatural, uncomfortable position. Narrowing her eyes, she thought she saw something, near his chest and went to go check it out. Practically disappearing from view, Elphaba saw more clearly what she thought she'd seen – a Griffin claw, embedded in the softer scales near the young dragon's heart. This should not have killed him and that's when she realized that Jiahao was actually breathing but his chest barely moved. Not entirely sure how this was possible but knowing that if the claw was found by the other dragons, things would get ugly in a hurry.

Carefully, she removed the claw, stuffing it into her bathrobe. Jiahao did not immediately regain consciousness and she wondered what she could do next. Her powers crackled at her fingertips, giving her an idea. Releasing an electric jolt from her fingertips, Jiahao snapped awake and stood up. Elphaba quickly moved out of the way, so as not to get squashed.

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Jiahao closed his mouth unsure of how that was possible. He was obviously confused. Shufen reached for her son, unsure how one moment he appeared to be dead and now was quite obviously not. He took her hand in his, glad that he could at least feel.

"Everyone back up. Give him some room," Elphaba said. They obliged and moved away.

"Bonescraper, fetch Altan. I need his assistance," she told them. He nodded and went to fetch the Griffin, while Elphaba spoke in dragon to him, trying to soothe him.

"Altan, I need your help or rather your claw," Elphaba gave him a look. He nodded and moved over to her and held up his paw, his claws were intact and she made a mental note to ask him about that later. He touched the young dragon and spoke in a language that none of them understood.

"That should do it," Altan said. Jiahao was about to say something but his mouth started to run away with itself. Spilling all sorts of secrets, even ones that no one probably wanted to know. It was the last thing that he said though that caught their attention.

"Zhou threatened my dad," everyone turned their heads toward the dragon in question.


	22. Chapter 22

"Why would Zhou do that?" Elphaba asked.

"He doesn't trust humans. Saw this as our only way out of where we came from. He probably figured…" the young dragon didn't get a chance to finish the thought as Zhou lunged for him. Bonescraper cut in front of him knocking him down.

"Get the Princess out of here! He's mine!" Bonescraper barked. Altan scooped up Elphaba and her broom and headed for the Palace walls. Lieutenant Bahram ordered the bell sounded and the troops quickly manned the walls – the sound of their guns cocking was deafening but it did not stop the great mythical creatures from fighting. The other dragons backed away wanting no part of what was happening.

"Steady men!" Fiyero ordered. Altan landed just below the parapet and set Elphaba down.

"Their guns won't do much," Altan spoke up.

"No but the point is to keep the fight out there. This spills over these walls…" Fiyero let that thought hang there.

"Point taken," the senior Griffin nodded.

"Why do the others not join in?" Kelebek wondered.

"A fight of the alphas. They will not join in. Once there is a victor, then they will follow him. Or…" Altan heaved a sigh.

"Or they'll turn on the winner and then us," Zara spoke up.

"On the nosy young Duchess," Bahadir said.

"This just keeps getting better and better," Queen Ayla shook her head.

"We're in the middle of it but perhaps we don't have to be," Queen Zixi was having a thought.

"What do you mean?" Elphaba gave her a look.

"You are the Dragon Lord. You can order them to stop. You can also banish Zhou. He has broken the covenant that he entered into with the letter I sent," Zixi pointed out.

"But would that really stop him? The last thing we need is him setting the Gillikin on fire as he's leaving," Elphaba said.

"Point but he cannot disobey your orders," Lale spoke up.

"So, if I craft my wording…" the Princess narrowed her eyes. She was about to speak up when Bonescraper pinned Zhou to the ground. He sat upon the other dragon's chest; his clawed hand wrapped around Zhou's throat.

"Enough!" Elphaba shouted in dragon. Everyone froze, the dragons turning toward the Princess.

"Zhou! You broke the covenant into which you entered! You are hereby banished from Oz and Ix! You will leave both countries immediately and in the condition you found them in! Disobey me and Bonescraper has permission to make your exit not only of these countries but of this world – do I make myself clear?!" Elphaba had given her orders. Bonescraper moved off of Zhou and pulled the dragon from the ground by his throat. He glared at him before he let him go. Zhou looked at Elphaba. Her powers crackled at her fingertips and he could see the troops at the wall smirk.

"I suggest you do as the Princess says. You don't want to see her when she's angry," Bonescraper told him.

"Ruled by a woman whose skin matches our scales. You think that makes you strong?" Zhou gave him a look.

"I am stronger for knowing Princess Elphaba. We all are. Look at the respect she commands. It is not because she's a Princess – it is because she respects every single being that she comes across. You had a chance to earn that respect and you threw it away. So, go now and do not come back," Bonescraper said. Zhou gave him a look and took to the skies.

"Follow him and make sure he leaves," Elphaba said. Bonescraper nodded and followed the dragon and the Griffins all lifted off to help the dragon out.

"So, you think that did the trick?" Zixi asked.

"I have my doubts," Elphaba frowned.


	23. Chapter 23

The troops had shouldered their weapons and Feilong conveyed the whole story once Bonescraper and the Griffins returned from following Zhou out of the country. Zhou had plotted a revolt. He knew the numbers were in his favor and he intended to use it.

"Thank you Feilong and thank you Jiahao for your honesty. Now I'd like to meet everyone more formally," Elphaba spoke up.

"My wife, Shufen," Feilong introduced a darker blue dragon with gold much like her husband. Their son was a teal color with gold as well.

"Our friends, Bao, and his wife, Hua," Feilong introduced. Bao was orange and gold, while his wife was an indigo and gold.

"Ping and her daughter Wei," Feilong said. The two looked a lot like the banished dragon, yellow with reddish brown scales.

"Please forgive my husband. His distrust led him to do something foolish," Ping spoke up.

"I'll not hold his transgressions against anyone in this group provided they don't attempt to follow through on what he could not. I believe that everyone should get a chance to prove their worth. Zhou moved against one of his own kind and that does not bode well for anyone here today," Elphaba told her.

"It does not your Highness, but I worry that he will not stay away," Ping admitted.

"It is a worry I have myself. I do not wish to follow through on my threat, but I will do what I have to in order to protect the peoples of Oz and Ix, I hope you can understand that," the Princess said.

"Of course. He stopped being my husband years ago. His experiences turned him bitter and mean. Zhou lost what made him a dragon. It turned him into what we all fear becoming. Not that we had much choice. We are quite literally all that remains of our kind," Ping explained.

"What do you fear?" Zara spoke up.

"Ah young Duchess, it is something we all fear, no matter what kind of dragon we are. You see when a dragon loses his or her sense of hope and willingness to help man, we become those that you read about in the stories. Creatures of sin. Creatures to fear. The villain of the story. Once branded that, there is no going back. The balance of good and evil shifts very easily given our disposition," Bonescraper interrupted.

"Long ago, dragons and Oz coexisted. We both thrived. It is only when the Fish Woman managed to convince the Wizard and he then convinced the people that dragons and other creatures were our foes. It is why Altan and his clan are all that remain of the Griffins. It is why Bonescraper is the last of his kind of dragon," Elphaba explained, knowing everyone in Oz knew the story but the visitors did not.

"Fish Woman?" Bao was confused.

"Madame Morrible. Her hatred and lust for power caused creatures to be killed and Animals to lose their speech. It has taken decades for things to slowly return to what they once were but even still we have lost much of what we could have had," the Princess told him.

"Ah, so you were able to tilt the scales where we could not. Our humans have totally lost faith in our relationship. We lucked out that they lost their belief in magic. If they had not, we might be in the same situation as Bonescraper or Altan," Shufen explained.

"Let us forge a new alliance that our children's children will talk about and let the past die," King Tahir spoke up.

"Moving forward is what we'd like to do," Feilong smiled.

"Excellent. Then welcome to Oz," Queen Ayla smiled.

"I am Queen Zixi of Ix, you are welcome in my country as well," the ruler told them. Everyone was happy that things were coming together but Elphaba couldn't help the niggling in the back of head. All was not as it seemed.


	24. Chapter 24

"You're not actually sleeping, are you?" Fiyero asked from his side of the bed as he stared up at the ceiling. It had been hours since they crawled under the covers but tonight the Prince struggled to find sleep. The other day he'd been so exhausted that it wasn't hard despite the circumstances. Now his mind kept running scenarios none of them good.

"Hardly. You obviously aren't either," Elphaba commented. She rolled over and her husband rolled over to look at her.

"Zhou?" He asked.

"Among other things. How do we know his wife and daughter will fall in line?" Elphaba wanted to know.

"Well perhaps their relationship had soured. Not everyone can be in love like we are," Fiyero smiled before leaning in and kissing her.

"Yes, well no everyone is so willing to see the person underneath as you were. I'd like to believe it but until I see it…" Elphaba admitted.

"Completely agree. Should you use that spell you used earlier? See if she's lying?" he wondered.

"I could but re-asking the question could make it seem like I don't trust them. Plus, I doubt that she'd want to rock the boat. Bonescraper is now the alpha and she won't go against him and me. However, once they split off to their new parts of Oz or Ix, it's anyone's guess," she frowned.

"But again, that would rock the boat. They know that Oz was once rallied to kill dragons and could be rallied again. Ix however…" Fiyero gave her a look.

"Perhaps a show of power from Queen Zixi is in order," Elphaba nodded.

"Perhaps. For now, though – sleep. We need to try," he said. Elphaba reached over and pulled herself closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her and they held each other.

Outside, Zara had decided on a late-night walk on the parapet walls. She had not seen her fiancé in days as he still manned his position in his tribe alongside his father. It would be that way until they were married.

"Young Duchess, should you not be in bed?" Kelebek asked as she landed near the young woman.

"Shouldn't you? I'm missing my Emir and I have a lot on my mind," Zara said.

"Iskender and I were just up talking and he thought he saw you. I thought I'd check it out," Kelebek admitted.

"Are you and Iskender expected to…" Zara let the thought go.

"We cannot. He is my cousin and best friend. Regrettably we will be the last of our kind," Kelebek shook her head.

"Wow ok. That's not what I meant," Zara almost gagged.

"Oh sorry. That question has come up more than you'd think," Kelebek was embarrassed.

"I'm sorry for that. I just meant that you're expected to lead/corral dragons in Ix? With no Dragon Lord, I assumed that responsibility fell to you two. Ultimately, you are the youngest," the Duchess explained.

"Yes. My father, as the elder, has handed that responsibility to Iskender and myself. Once we are gone, there will be no one to keep an eye on things. Of course, by then no one who is here will care as they will be long gone," the young Griffin said.

"A lot of pressure on everyone then," Zara nodded.

"Agreed," Kelebek nodded and that's when Iskender joined them.

"Duchess, there is movement in the field. I have alerted Master Chistery. He and his brethren are keeping a weather eye on things. We must be ready to move," Iskender told them.

"I'll get my mother," Zara promised.


	25. Chapter 25

"So, what do we have?" Elphaba asked as she and Fiyero approached their daughter and Kelebek.

"Chistery and the other Flying Monkeys are in position along with the rest of the Griffins. One of the dragons is moving and we aren't sure what is going on. At first, we thought just moving to get comfortable, but it would seem more like circling the group," Kelebek explained. Her amazing eyesight allowed her to see more than what could be seen by the human eye and the torches that lined the Palace walls.

"Could it be Bonescraper? How is it that the circling dragon hasn't noticed, we've noticed what they are up to?" Elphaba raised an eyebrow.

"Hope? I have no idea. Their eyesight is better than mine. I'm pretty sure it isn't Bonescraper," the young Griffin commented.

"Oi," Elphaba groaned.

"We make no moves until the dragon does. For all we know they could be sleepwalking," Fiyero said.

"How many of us were sleeping?" Zara gave him a look to which he only nodded.

"I could wake everyone up, would that suffice?" The elder green woman asked.

"They'll only listen to you anyway," Kelebek admitted.

"Have the Lieutenants been awakened?" Fiyero wanted to know.

"Private Malik ran off to wake them. They should be here soon," Iskender spoke up.

"Wait until they get here. Put the night watch on high alert," Fiyero said. They all moved closer to the edge of the wall and peered into the darkness. They could hear the heavy footsteps of the dragon and Elphaba looked at Kelebek. The young Griffin was staring, trying to focus her sharper vision. She was half tempted to ask her friend to fly over but thought better of it.

"Another long night huh?" Lieutenant Bahram wondered. Former Lieutenant Ash was right behind him.

"I imagine this will become a thing," Elphaba half-smiled at him.

"I'll get the boys and girls on standby," Ash spoke up.

"Iskender took care that for us. I think the last thing we want to do is start something we can't finish. On the other hand, we can't let this go either. Something weird is afoot," Fiyero told them.

"I have an idea – probably not a good one – but it's an idea," Elphaba said.

"Princess?" Bahram raised an eyebrow.

"Hang onto your britches," the witch told them. She quickly chanted a spell and a ball of light shot out of her hands. It illuminated the plains in front of them and all of the dragons sleeping below the walls. The dragon circling the group was Ping, but she didn't look up at the light. The others shook awake but that didn't seem to faze her at all, and she continued to circle what used to be the group.

"What the hell?" Zara was confused. Elphaba looked at Bonescraper and he tried to shake Ping from her task by putting his shoulder into her. It bumped her but she did not stop what she was doing.

"He did this," Wei said.

"Your father?" Bonescraper gave her a look.

"Yes," Wei looked mad.

"It's a distraction! He's got to be nearby! Troops! Armor up!" Elphaba bellowed. The sound of armor clinking and guns cocking filled the air. If the dragon thought he could sneak up on them, he'd be mistaken.

"What if he isn't going after us?" Kelebek asked.

"Glinda…" the Princess whispered. Bonescraper heard her – as Dragon Lord and as the alpha, his senses were heightened.

"Feilong! Bao! To the sky!" Bonescraper barked. Quickly the two headed up into the night sky and the alpha dragon followed. They could not see anything on fire but that didn't bring them any comfort.

"Wouldn't Zhou still have to listen to you since you are the Dragon Lord?" Kelebek asked.

"He's been disowned, I'm not sure," Elphaba said.

"I didn't disown him," Zara spoke up. That's when they heard a roar, it was unmistakable – dragon. Zhou tried to douse the Palace walls with fire as he flew by but Bonescraper hit him in the midsection and they tumbled to the ground. Bonescraper may have just stopped Glinda and the Emerald City from being attacked. The two started going at it once again but it would not last long. Elphaba shouted at the two dragons to cease but Zhou did not listen, and he kept charging at Bonescraper and trying to fight him. However, everyone stopped in their tracks as Zara shouted out repeating her mother's words in the language of the dragon,

"Cease! Zhou! You were ordered to not return! For this you will pay dearly!"


	26. Chapter 26

Bonescraper grabbed Zhou by the throat and threw him to the ground. The larger red dragon held him there by his claws in the mid-section of the dangerous dragon and he looked to the young Duchess. Zara had managed to make everyone look at her and now the young green woman was feeling a little self-conscious. Still she pressed forward.

"Zhou! You were ordered to leave and never return lest you face the consequences. Those consequences will now come to bear," Zara said.

"I'm the one in trouble? You lied to us from the start!" Zhou tried to argue before getting one of Bonescraper's claws on his neck.

"Your dishonesty caused us to be cautious. Your behavior is no one's fault but your own," the Duchess wasn't buying it.

"You went against your own kind. None of the humans standing before you are responsible for that. You had an opportunity to start again and you ruined it. The Princess was lenient with you. She let you live. You could have even turned that into a new life. Instead your hatred drove you to come back here and now it will drive you into your grave," Bonescraper snarled at the dragon he held down.

"Now before I have Bonescraper do what needs to be done, what did you do to your wife? She is not responsive to any exterior stimuli. Remove whatever spell you cast," Zara gave him a look.

"Why should I? No matter what I do to her, you will carry out your punishment," Zhou had no intention to help his spouse.

"It is your last chance to redeem yourself. Whatever gods you believe in may decide to lessen your sentence. If you don't…" Zara just shrugged.

"Her allegiance no longer lies with me. She and my daughter rather throw their lot in with you so do your worst," Zhou was defiant to the end. Bonescraper looked at Zara and her mother. Elphaba and Zara nodded, and the dragon understood but before he could do anything Feilong approached him. Bonescraper looked at him, confused.

"Allow me," Feilong said. It was then that Bonescraper understood what the green dragon meant. The only way a human could kill a dragon was to penetrate the small opening in the scales where the heart resided. Dragons, however, did not need to do that. Their claws could easily penetrate the scales of another dragon.

Feilong sank his claws into Zhou's right arm and left arm and put his entire body over the top of the other dragon. Zhou did not cry out, not wanting to give those watching the satisfaction. Wei had turned around. While she no longer saw eye to eye with her father, a part of her was sad at what was about to happen. At the same time, he had refused to free her mother, and that made her angry. The cluster of emotions made her feel confused.

Zara didn't want to watch and closed her eyes. The sound of Bonescraper's nails cutting through the scales of Zhou's neck was unmistakable. After a few moments, he announced it was done. Zhou was gone.

"How do we dispose of the body?" Fiyero asked Elphaba.

"Dragon scales are mostly immune to fire. I think the only thing for it would be to dump the body into the ocean," she admitted. They got their answer however in the form of Bonescraper's actions. He had severed the head and then belched fire down the open throat of the traitor. He then turned and did the same to the head. The scales on the outside basically contained the blaze and burned all of the organic material that remained.

"The scales are now the property of the Dragon Lords," Bonescraper announced. Elphaba wasn't sure what that exactly meant but she nodded.

"Send the men out with carts to collect them. We'll have to figure out a storage situation at first light.

"Ping!" Zara shouted. Suddenly, the female dragon stopped pacing. She collapsed and Elphaba left the Palace walls with the help of Kelebek.

"Are you ok?" The green woman asked.

"I'm exhausted. What happened?" Ping asked.

"It is a very long story," Elphaba admitted.


	27. Chapter 27

A few days went by and the dragons had decided on where they would like to travel and make their new homes. Ping and Wei decided to head to Ix. Perhaps it was too many bad memories in Oz or perhaps they liked the isolation it offered. They would live in the forests with the Griffins. Queen Zixi was pleased with this and promised to travel with them in the coming days.

Bonescraper would indeed remain with the Vinkus. Feilong, Jiahao, and Shufen said they'd stay with him and eventually spread to the Gillikin once everything was back up and running. Elphaba thanked them for staying. Bao and Hua said that they would head to Quadling country. A letter had been sent to the Quadlings so they knew what to expect.

"Are you sure we should be doing this now?" Zara asked her mother. She stood in her room; the handmaidens quickly worked to get the Duchess ready, in front of a bunch of mirrors.

"No time like the present. Before something else happens," Elphaba said.

"What else could possibly happen?" Zara gave her mother a look, but it wasn't a long one as the handmaidens tried to get her hair all set. The white dress she was wearing was borrowed from a local dress shop. The tailor had promised to modify it however the Duchess wanted it for her wedding. The man just didn't know how soon it was going to be used.

"Honey, you know the story of your father and I. How long did it take for us to get married?" Elphaba wanted to know.

"I thought we had to have this big to do. I mean you were pregnant for Oz's sake, and they still made you go through with a big royal wedding," her daughter protested.

"Yes, but that was because I was to become Princess. Luckily, your wedding, the real wedding, will be the wedding I wanted. No big to do, just you, Emir, his parents, your brother, and your father and I," Elphaba smiled.

"And when the rest of the Vinkus finds out?" Zara asked.

"You will have your big to do, as you called it. Your grandparents are being gracious enough to make this happen. They want you and Emir to be happy and nothing to get in the way. With the dragon issue settled, you two can focus on you. If anything, worse than what we just went through pops up, everything will already be in place," her mother said.

"Everything will already be in place? Mom, what are you saying?" Zara knew what her mother meant. The chain of succession would be intact, should the worst happen. Elphaba shooed the handmaidens away for a moment and pulled her daughter into a hug.

"Things may seem calm now, but the truth is dragons add a whole degree of difficulty to everything. Bonescraper would die for us. We do not know what will happen with the others. I want to trust them. I want to believe that peace will reign as it used to, but I can't say that for certain. This is new uncharted territory and you need to be with the one you love for as long as possible. Much of my younger years were without the love your father has shown me. We have been through so much, but our love has sustained through it all. You and Emir have that chance now and I want nothing to stand in the way," she said.

"Oh mom," Zara started to cry.

"Honey, don't cry," Elphaba wiped away her tears. There was a knock on the door and one of the handmaidens opened the door.

"Izzy! Derya! What are you two up to?" Elphaba asked as the two moved toward the mother and daughter.

"So, we heard our best friend was up to something and wanted to see for ourselves," Derya spoke up.

"Well I guess we couldn't hope to keep it a secret," Zara said.

"A secret wedding and your friends not invited, I'd be hurt, if I didn't suspect what was going on here," Derya gave her a look.

"Not what you think girls. We're doing this for the line of succession, in case of trouble…" the Princess told them.

"Why else would she be getting married in secret?" Derya waggled her eyebrows, clearly teasing her cousin.

"Oh," Zara shook her head.

"All right, everybody out. Let the ladies do what they need to. Emir will be waiting shortly," Elphaba took the two younger girls out into the hallway.

"So, who squealed?" she asked.

"Seems Semir couldn't help himself," Izzy finally spoke up. Elphaba shook her head and gave the girls a hug before quickly explaining the entire situation. They seemed to understand and were glad to hear that they would still be a part of the royal wedding, months down the road. Derya gave the Princess a look and Elphaba could see that she wanted to talk. With a quick nod, the younger woman knew to come see Elphaba later for a private chat.


	28. Chapter 28

The secret wedding was quick, and everyone promised to try their best to not let the entire kingdom know. Elphaba gave Semir a look telling him that he would have to be extra careful. Zara and Emir would need to keep appearances appropriate so no sharing a room or large displays of affection. They promised to do their best, though Elphaba had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't be that hard. With the dragons splitting up, everyone needed to be on their toes, especially given that both Dragon Lords were staying in the Vinkus. Emir's people would be leaving the capital city and that meant Emir would join them until a few weeks before the public wedding.

It was now after dinner and Elphaba was standing on the balcony to her bedroom. Derya was supposed to be swinging by soon. She wondered what more the young woman could be worried about. Regrettably, with all the hullabaloo, she imagined the two hadn't had much time to talk about whatever was going on with Izzy.

"Princess, might I join you?" Kelebek asked. The green woman looked up and saw the young Griffin. She nodded and her friend landed next to her.

"What's up?" Elphaba wanted to know.

"I don't want to go back to Ix," it just came out.

"Any particular reason?" Elphaba was surprised.

"I want a chance for a life of my own. If I go home now, I don't think I'll ever get to leave," Kelebek said.

"Ah the weight of the world. I know it well," the green woman nodded.

"Something like that," the Griffin nodded.

"Well you know that the Vinkus always welcomes you. Come for vacation," Elphaba said.

"That is very nice of you, Princess. I do appreciate it. I just…" Kelebek trailed off.

"You just want what everyone else wants but you can't have. I feel like that might be a Bonescraper question. He would know more about how to handle the loneliness of being in your situation. I can give you an idea of loneliness, but it is not the same as yours," the green woman told her.

"Griffins mate for life. We are built to withstand heartbreak but heartache... not so much. I will never know love like what you and the Prince share," the young Griffin frowned.

"To be honest, I do not think many truly know the love I share with Fiyero. It's deeper than most realize. It is a bond forged by fire and yet I used to question it almost daily. My self-esteem was in the basement, you see. That was forged by years of being told I was ugly; I was not worthy of love. He proved everyone wrong, including me. While I cannot say you will find that, if there are other dragons out there, then perhaps there are other Griffins out there," Elphaba said.

"Perhaps you are right. I thank you for letting me vent and for the advice," Kelebek smiled slightly.

"Anytime my friend. I would love it if you visited," the green woman told her. The young Griffin used her wing and pulled her close. Elphaba hugged her back.

"Hey Kelebek. Everything ok?" Derya interrupted from the doorway.

"It will be young one. You might want to start charging by the hour, Princess," Kelebek teased.

"I'll hang a shingle. Let me know how it goes," Elphaba said.

"Will do," and with that Kelebek took to the skies.

"Long day?" Derya asked.

"Indeed, young lady. Why do I feel like it's about to get longer?" the Princess offered her a seat on the chairs on the patio.

"I wish I had an answer, I do," Derya heaved a sigh.

"Semir wasn't able to crack the nut as your father is fond of saying?" Elphaba wondered.

"If anything, she clamped down more. Not that Shiz is reopening any time soon but Izzy absolutely refuses to open up and tell anyone what is going on inside her head. I've never seen her like this. I thought for sure that she'd be more open now that we almost died but…" Derya shook her head.

"Danger often does cause people to unburden themselves. We must have an intervention. If she's pulled away from you and Semir, then it is something we cannot ignore. Come. We must do this and do it now," Elphaba stood up.

"Aunt Elphie…" Derya was concerned and the green woman pulled her into a hug.

"We'll get this sorted. Come on," Elphaba said.


	29. Chapter 29

Elphaba charged down the hallway, Derya was directly behind her. Chistery saw them coming and was about to ask what was going on when he saw the look on Elphaba's face. It was a look he'd seen before – concern. So, no questions were asked as he joined them on their march toward the young teenager's bedroom. She had said she was going there after dinner.

"Izzy!" Elphaba tried the door handle but it was locked.

"Izzy!" She pounded on the door with her fist.

"You want me to break it down?" Chistery asked. The green woman shook her head.

"Izzy! Open this door or I will blast it off its hinges!" Elphaba shouted. Still nothing and that really bothered them all.

"Stand back!" She ordered. Derya and Chistery moved back as Elphaba used her magic to blast open the door. The heavy wooden entrance flew against the wall and the three entered the room. Izzy was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She didn't move which made Elphaba' stomach drop.

The green woman rushed to the girl's side and checked her pulse. She was breathing but she had no reaction to outside stimuli. No blinking, no flinching, nothing. Chistery came up to Elphaba and gave her a look.

"She's not responding to me. I need you to check her bathroom. See if you find any medicines," she told the Flying Monkey in a low tone from her spot, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"You think she…" Chistery started.

"I don't know. I hope not but I can't cast a healing spell if I don't know what she used," Elphaba said. Chistery nodded and ducked into the bathroom.

"Izzy…" Derya stood there, unsure of what she was looking at.

"Has she been practicing magic?" Elphaba asked her; hoping to keep the teenager distracted.

"Outside of class? As far as I know, no. Her powers are growing though. While not as powerful as I am, she has definitely reached the level of her mother," Derya admitted.

"She's as powerful as Glinda? I did not know this," Elphaba was surprised. Balfour had no magical ability and not a history of it in his family. Being half magical and half non-magical, the likelihood of her being as powerful as Glinda would have been rare. Still Glinda was the third most powerful witch in Oz, so Izzy's powers may have peaked.

"Do you think this is something she did to herself?" Derya asked.

"Her behavior suggests that she is hiding something. Something is weighing on her, enough that, whatever it was, she shut out the ones she loves. I…" Elphaba didn't want to say it. Thankfully, Chistery exited the bathroom and said,

"I don't see anything in there."

"You think she…" Derya caught on.

"I don't know but I can't rule it out. I can't perform a healing spell if I don't know what I'm dealing with," Elphaba told her. Derya felt weak at the knees and Chistery caught her, placing her in the chair near the bed.

"Why…" the teenager asked.

"We'll get to the bottom of this. Chistery, we need help. Find Zara, Doctor Brown, and Kelebek," Elphaba said. If nothing else, the Griffin's claw could offer them a solution.

"Yes Miss Elphaba," Chistery took off down the hallway. Elphaba went to Derya and pulled her into a hug.

"We will figure this out," the Princess promised.

"I can't lose her," Derya started to cry.


	30. Chapter 30

"Princess, what happened?" Kelebek asked as Elphaba let her in via the balcony door. She was the first to arrive as she was the easiest to find. Doctor Brown was the next person Chistery went to find while he alerted Lieutenants Bahram and Ash to help him find Zara.

"I'm not entirely sure but I may need your claw if I can't help her," the green woman said as they moved closer to the bed. Kelebek looked over the non-moving teenager in the bed and then she looked over at Derya. The teenager was a mess and the young Griffin didn't blame her.

"We'll figure this out little one," Kelebek promised.

"Why would she hide whatever it is from me? She knows she can tell me anything," Derya said.

"Sometimes people get to a point where they have trouble with everyday activities. Life feels like it's dragging them down and they don't know how to fix it. Nothing makes them feel like they used to. It gets harder to get out of bed and to connect with people they used to tell everything. They seem fine on the outside but on the inside…" Elphaba explained.

"So, she was suffering and didn't know how to tell me?" Derya asked.

"Possibly. Maybe she thought she could use magic to fix it. As far as I know though, magic can't be used to fix that. There is a lot of things magic can do but when it comes to emotions and the brain," the Princess admitted.

"My claw could help but I'm not sure if what she's going through is induced by magic it will," Kelebek was being honest. That's when Doctor Brown and Chistery entered the room and the medical man was quickly brought up to speed. He went to check on Izzy.

"I've not seen this before. The last time I did see something similar, the patient's eyes were closed," Brown admitted. He gave Elphaba a look, so as not to upset Derya. The Princess knew what probably came next. Unable to feed the patient, they probably died. The only good news out of that was that Izzy had eaten dinner with them. Her body would not need sustenance in the next few hours.

"What is going on?" Zara asked, the Lieutenants were behind her along with Fiyero. Elphaba quickly brought her up to speed.

"Sweet Oz," Fiyero went to Derya and pulled her into his arms.

"Lieutenant Bahram, I need a letter sent to Glinda and Balfour. Explain the situation and have them out here as soon as possible," Elphaba spoke up.

"Yes Princess," with that Bahram took off for the Aviary.

"Should I bring Bonescraper up to speed?" Lieutenant Ash asked.

"Yes. Perhaps our dragon friends can help. Thank you, Ash," Elphaba said. Ash nodded and took off for the Palace walls, figuring it wouldn't hurt to update the other Griffins as well.

"I'm going to try something and see if it works. Zara, I need you to standby to pull me out," the elder green woman told them.

"You're going to try to get into her mind?" Zara asked.

"That might be the only way to find out if it's medical or it's magical," Elphaba shook her head. The longer Izzy was in that state, the worse things will get, if it was magical, there was no way to tell how bad it would get. The Princess sat down next to the young teenager and placed her fingers on Izzy's forehead and began to chant in the language that only she and Zara understood. Once the chant was complete, she slumped over. Fiyero's eyes went wide but said nothing, hoping his wife knew what to do.

"How does this work?" He asked, helping Derya back into the chair.

"Mom will go in and attempt to find Izzy's consciousness. If she's successful, she'll be able to force Izzy back awake. If she's not, I will need to bring her back. This kind of thing can only be done with two well-trained witches or warlocks. It's not done lightly and if in the next forty-five minutes Mom doesn't wake up on her own, I will have to pull her out," Zara explained.

"What then?" Derya asked.

"If it's medical, we cast a healing spell. If it's not, only Mom would know what to do. Perhaps that is where Kelebek or Bonescraper will need to step in," Zara said. The Duchess hoped that her mother woke up on her own. Fact of the matter was that this could go south and in a hurry.


	31. Chapter 31

"Izzy! Izzy!" Elphaba called out for the young woman, her voice echoing off the space. The space she'd dropped into was white and plain. The green woman had expected to find activity of some sort – a construct that the young woman had made to fall into – something akin to a dream. Instead there was just nothing.

"This can't be good," Elphaba muttered to herself.

"Izzy! Izzy!" She called out again, an echo her only response. The green woman wondered if she did the spell wrong or if maybe this was the body's response to a medical issue. She'd never heard of something like this happening medically, but then again, she wasn't a trained medical doctor. The curing spells that they had been taught were for easily diagnosed conditions – broken bones, a cold, a stab wound, a gunshot – not whatever this was.

Elphaba started to move around, calling out, hoping to stumble onto something, anything. Her time was short before Zara would have to pull her back out. Heaving a sigh, Elphaba tried to think – was there a spell that Izzy could have used that wiped her mind? Why was everything blank? Was her mind not functioning? How could she reach the young woman?

"You don't have to come back to me, but you need to come back for Derya! She confused and hurt! She loves you and wants you back! I can take you to her! If for no one else than her, come back with me!" It was the only thing that she could think of to reach Izzy. Suddenly the ground beneath her shook and cracked apart. Colors shot up through the cracks and Elphaba dodged the beams, unsure if they could hurt her. Suddenly, she was blinded by the light and the green woman covered her eyes as the ground gave way under her feet.

Elphaba fell for what seemed to be forever before landing smack onto a soft surface – the air was sucked out of her lungs. Gasping for air, she let her eyes adjust. She was in the bedroom that Izzy was staying in, while visiting the Vinkus. Well, truth be told, she wasn't visiting. She and Derya could probably never go back to the Emerald City. They were not understood there, like they were in the Vinkus. The sounds of sobbing broke her thoughts and Elphaba looked around to find Izzy balled up in the large armchair in the corner of the room.

On her feet in a hurry, Elphaba moved to the girl and scooped her up into her arms. Sitting down where Izzy had been moments before, the elder woman held onto her. She kissed her best friend's daughter on the head and whispered words of comfort.

"Izzy how did you get here?" Elphaba asked after a few minutes, knowing she was running out of time.

"I don't know. I was just so upset and then the next thing I knew I was here, and I don't know how to get out," Izzy explained.

"What upset you? Why have you been hiding from Derya and Semir?" The green woman was concerned but also confused because the girl seemed fine at dinner.

"I can't be me. I can't go home. My friends would never understand. If Shiz reopens, there's no way that they'll understand. I can never step into my mother's shoes or be by Bart's side as he leads Oz. I don't even know if Mom and Dad actually love me for me. They don't send letters or come and visit. Every day, there's this weight on my chest and it feels like its squeezing the life out of me," Izzy admitted. Elphaba pulled her close.

"Come back with me. Even if things can never go back to normal, you can create a new normal. You are surrounded by people who love you. We want to help you and we want to be there for you. I know Derya can't think of life without you," the green woman reassured her.

"What happens when that changes? When I'm no longer the person she loves? I'll be alone and an outcast," Izzy shook her head. Elphaba knew that she was almost out of time. She could feel Zara's presence.

"You will go on. I did. I had years where no one loved me, simply because of my skin color. There will be someone there to catch you, no matter what. As long as you have family in the Vinkus, you will always have a home. Now we must go. If you do not come with me, I'm not sure I can pull you out. I cannot go back to Derya empty handed," Elphaba pleaded. Izzy nodded and the green woman called out to her daughter. Zara was able to grab on and the two were lifted off the chair. They went up and up, suddenly shattering a ceiling that neither one knew was there. Izzy disappeared and before Elphaba could figure out what had happened, she was back in her own body.

"Mom, are you ok?" Zara asked. Elphaba could feel Fiyero's hands on her shoulders.

"I think so. Izzy and I got separated. Can you wake her?" Her mother wanted to know.

"Miss Izzy, please wake up," Kelebek used her wing and gently shook her.

"I definitely think that this was magic, unintentional but magic, nonetheless," Elphaba said. Kelebek tried again to wake Izzy.

"Come on little one, please wake up," the Griffin pleaded.


	32. Chapter 32

Elphaba had thrown herself into her spell books after Izzy had finally woken up. It had taken longer than the green woman might have liked, about fifteen minutes, and she left the girl in the capable hands of Derya and Zara after it was obvious that Izzy was ok. Kelebek had headed back outside to update her family and the dragons. Chistery had posted himself outside of the girl's door. Fiyero went to update his parents and son, which caused Semir to hurry down to see if he could comfort his friend.

"I hate to intrude, Princess, but I thought you might like company," the reinstated Lieutenant Ash poked his head inside the study.

"I'd take any opinion you have to be honest, though company never hurts," Elphaba looked up from the Grimmerie in her lap and she smiled.

"Well I didn't want to make any assumptions but I'm guessing that I could be of some use in the non-magic department," he admitted as he slipped inside the room and took a seat next to the green woman.

"I have to admit at first, I thought she was having a "me" moment," Elphaba said.

"Like when you could freeze the room?" Ash asked.

"Yes exactly. Problem is, she somehow internalized it and then couldn't get herself out. I was always in control of the freezing, even if I didn't know how I did the freezing," she told him.

"She is young, under a lot of stress, and trying to find herself. A dangerous combination I should think," Ash nodded thoughtfully.

"Dangerous indeed. I shall be reading Glinda and Balfour the riot act but first I need some insight. As you know, my childhood wasn't exactly a good example of how to raise your children," Elphaba said.

"For that I apologize. Someone should have stood up. Someone should have helped," Ash reached out and put his hand on top of hers.

"Nothing for it now. I have my own family to take care of. I made a promise to be better for my family. I think I've managed to do so," she smiled slightly. Ash removed his hand and sat back in the chair.

"You have done a great job not only for you kids but for the entirety of the Vinkus and all of her children. You've even taken care of other people's children," he smiled slightly.

"That's what I'm hoping to find in the Grimmerie. Of course, there are some things that can't be found in books, no matter how hard we look," the green woman frowned.

"When I figured out who I was, I wasn't concerned about telling my parents. I was actually more concerned that it would ruin my career. I was young and moving up through the ranks in the Army. No one knew that I was the way I am. I figured that I could keep it to myself. My career was something I was willing to put everything else off for… well until I bumped into Arthur," Ash admitted.

"So, what did you do? By the time I joined Fiyero here, it was no big secret," Elphaba said.

"I asked my father for advice. He was a good, kind man, who told me – "if they respect you, they will understand." This turned out to be true, but I doubt that it will be so easy for Izzy. There will always be haters. You cannot get rid of them all. What you can do, is have a good support network. While she has the support of this family here, she needs to know that Glinda, Balfour, and Bart," the Lieutenant said.

"Yes, even if it is not a public statement, Izzy needs reassurance her own family hasn't turned on her. Both Glinda and Balfour have said that they have no problem with Izzy and Derya, but they haven't sent any letters or come to visit so she's feeling like it's just lip service," Elphaba frowned.

"Sounds about right," Ash nodded. Just then Fiyero busted into the room, scaring the two of them half to death.

"Yero, what the…" his wife didn't get to finish.

"Bonescraper apparently went out on a little trip and no one said anything. He just brought Bart back with Nori," the Prince explained.

"Come on then. I hope all is well in the Gillikin," Elphaba said.


	33. Chapter 33

Elphaba had returned to the study to continue sifting through the spell books after it was discovered that Bart and Nori's arrival had been due to Bonescraper explaining the situation with Izzy. The next ruler of Oz had been upset that his sister was in trouble and had brought Nori with him. Now the blonde stood outside Izzy's room with Derya, Zara, Semir, and Chistery.

"I am sorry we had to meet this way your Highnesses," Nori bowed.

"There is no need to bow. A friend of Bart's is a friend of the Vinkus. You are here as an equal," Zara smiled.

"You are much too kind. I now understand what Bart loved about you," Nori smiled.

"I always thought of it as more of an infatuation," Semir smirked and Chistery's chuckle couldn't be ignored.

"Oh he had it bad, there is little doubt, but he also wants the future Princess to be happy. I'm still trying to figure out what makes him happy," the blonde admitted.

"Had it bad?" Zara gave her a look.

"When we first met, you were a main topic of discussion, aside from bringing Gillikin back to its former glory," Nori explained. Zara started to blush, her green skin turning a shade of purple.

"Tell me he's moved on," Derya finally spoke up, perhaps glad to have something to take her mind off Izzy.

"I think so. He's been weird though, as of late. Suddenly he's much quieter than before. Lord Arduenna seems to be the only one to break him from his thoughts," Nori frowned.

"They inherited that from their father," Fiyero spoke up as he moved toward the group.

"Have you heard from Lady Glinda and Lord Balfour, your Highness?" Nori asked and bowed. While she may be able to get away with not calling Semir and Zara, Highness, she doubted that the future King of the Vinkus would be as relaxed.

"We have not and that is one of the things bothering my wife. Zara, your mother could use your help. She thinks she has found something to explain Izzy's internalization but she wants to discuss it with you," Fiyero said. Zara nodded and quickly headed off down the hall toward the study.

"You don't think something is wrong do you?" Semir wanted to know.

"I'm not sure I have not heard from Adem or Khalil either. Usually, if Glinda or Balfour cannot respond, I hear from those two," his father frowned.

"Maybe their response will be to show up in the morning. They do not have a dragon to travel with after all," Chistery said.

"Very true," Fiyero nodded. Just then the door opened to the bedroom and Bart scooted out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

"How is she?" Derya asked.

"She passed out. She was glad to see me but she's very tired," Bart said.

"It's been a long day. Do you and Nori need something to eat? The servants have a couple of rooms made up for you so you can spend the night," Fiyero told them.

"Thank you very much Uncle Fiyero. We were in the middle of a snack when Bonescraper showed up," Bart admitted.

"Come on then. I'm sure that Amir will have something lying around," Fiyero winked. The two headed off behind the Prince and Semir noticed that Bart took Nori's hand in his. He chuckled before he noticed Derya heading into Izzy's room. She wasn't about to leave her girlfriend alone. Semir didn't say anything but went to find his mother and sister.


	34. Chapter 34

Glinda landed the bubble, she and Balfour were travelling in, on the Palace walls in the morning. Elphaba was relieved to see them, concerned on why they had not sent word. The green woman was about to lay into the blonde but never got the chance.

"Lady Glinda, Lord Balfour, we have some very serious topics to discuss," King Tahir had a frown on his face.

"I gathered from the letter. Where is Izzy? I must see her," Glinda said.

"You will. She's still sleeping. Yesterday was very trying. What is going on in the Emerald City that you did not respond to the letter? Is there something that we need to know about?" Queen Ayla spoke up.

"It has been a long night. I will explain, I promise," the blonde said.

"Then we must meet in the small dining room. Elphaba, please grab Fiyero and meet us," Tahir said. Elphaba just nodded and hurried back into the palace. Fiyero had stopped by Bart's room to have a chat with him before Glinda and Balfour had landed.

"Now what is going on that we must be secretive?" King Tahir wanted to know.

"The reason we have been less than communicative is that the Council is attempting to blackmail me into something that I do not want to do. Any communications that could get intercepted is not a good idea," Balfour explained.

"The entire Council? What of Ozma?" Elphaba asked.

"It is not the entire Council. Just one member, we figure. Ozma is using her connections to try and root out our problem but so far no luck," Glinda said.

"Blackmail how?" Queen Ayla raised an eyebrow.

"Suddenly, Izzy and Derya's current situation is a problem. I'm guessing that the person is under some sort of scrutiny or pressure to do something," Balfour had his own frown.

"What does Khalil say?" Fiyero wanted to know.

"He was the one that suggested that Ozma be the one to start digging. If anyone finds out that the Captain of the Guard, who has as much to lose as we do, is trying to find the blackmailer…" Glinda trailed off.

"They might spill the beans," Tahir nodded.

"What are they asking for? Why haven't you just given it to him?" Elphaba wondered.

"They want me to denounce my daughter, which I will not do. They say that if we pay them one million dollars then they will keep their thoughts to themselves. To be honest, what is to say that if we pay them they don't just release the information anyway?" Glinda gave them all a look.

"Then you do the one thing they aren't expecting you to do," Queen Ayla spoke up.

"That would solve one problem but could it not start a whole new one?" Balfour asked.

"It is high time that the government of Oz take a different stance. The only way to educate those that don't understand is to lead by example," King Tahir said.

"So I just announce to the entirety of Oz and our allies that my daughter is different and that everyone needs to suck it up? We could have another Civil War on our hands," Glinda said.

"If the Vinkus backs your play, they will think twice. Especially now that there are more dragons," Queen Ayla told her.

"They would need to answer to the Dragon Lords. Would they agree to such a thing? The last thing we need is pissed off dragons," Balfour pointed out.

"I think it's high time to ask them," Elphaba said. She stood from her seat and went to the balcony door. Kelebek saw her and quickly headed over to the balcony.

"Is everything all right?" The young Griffin asked.

"I need to speak to Bonescraper and then hopefully," the green woman explained.

"Hop on. Let's see what he has to say," Kelebek smiled.


	35. Chapter 35

By the next morning, Elphaba had figured out what had happened to Izzy and how she managed to completely disappear into herself. Zara had agreed that it was a special but dangerous talent and that somehow, they needed to be able to help her friend control it. Semir offered to help in any way that he could even though he really had little idea of what was going on.

"You think I can do that?" Izzy asked after breakfast as the group retreated to the courtyard. Elphaba had explained that the teenager's disappearing act was quite similar to when the green woman used to freeze an entire room full of people. Problem was Izzy internalized it.

"I know you can. If I can learn how to stop freezing people, you can learn to stop heading into your own head. It won't be easy, but I will teach you. We'll have help from Zara, Semir, and of course, Derya," the Princess winked. They had managed to reach the courtyard and Izzy took a seat at the outdoor dining table.

"So why do we need to do this outside?" The teenager wanted to know.

"Well to be safe. Truth be told, you might react differently while we do this," Elphaba was trying to be delicate.

"You mean like catching something on fire?" Derya piped up.

"Yes, or an explosion. I once destroyed a shed back in Munchkinland because my attempt to control my powers went haywire," the green woman admitted. She didn't mention what happened when her father figured out it was her.

Izzy's eyes went wide, and she suddenly became nervous. Elphaba could see that she was unsure of herself and perhaps a building up of self-confidence would help too. The Princess gave her a quick hug before instructing,

"Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and calm your mind. Tune out everything but the sound of my voice." Izzy nodded and did what she was told.

"Good. Now what do you feel? Can you feel the magic flowing through you?" Elphaba asked.

"I can feel it. It is very strong," Izzy admitted.

"That's good. You need to tune your body to it. Do not give into it. You need to show it, that you are the boss, not the other way around," the Princess told her.

"How do I do that?" Izzy wanted to know.

"Whatever it is trying to get you to do, you must remain firm. Tell it no. The magic will obey if it knows that you aren't just going to roll over. You know how in class, you have to say the words to a spell? This isn't much different, except that you don't need an actual spell to have a conversation of sorts," Elphaba explained. Izzy just nodded. She was more powerful than anyone had realized at first. Elphaba and Zara were still more powerful but at the moment, the girl might have reached Derya's level, making her at the same level or just above Glinda.

They had fallen into silence, just letting Izzy concentrate. Elphaba kept an eye out, to make sure that she hadn't fallen back into the situation she was in before. Confident that she wasn't, the green woman put her hands onto Izzy's shoulders. She could feel the raw, untrained power, coursing through her friend's daughter.

"All right Izzy open your eyes. How do you feel?" Elphaba wanted to know.

"Not as nervous but I don't feel overly confident," she said.

"You won't, not right away. I'll work up exercises for you to do and talk with your teacher. Perhaps, we can channel that into something where you can tease your mother about how powerful you are," the green woman smirked.

"Channel it to what?" Izzy asked.

"Well, your mother can create bubbles. No one else can do that, not even me. That's why I have a broom. My powers have a tendency of being destructive, but I can also read the Grimmerie and perform its complicated spells. Maybe you will be able to create bubbles or become a better healer or anything else that we can find that you excel at. We'll get this sorted, not to worry. Now you go find your family. I know they want to talk to you," Elphaba said. Izzy nodded, got up from the chair and hugged the Princess. She then took off for the Palace with Derya.

"You really think we can help her?" Zara asked, watching them go.

"Absolutely. Now, I think it's time you and I had a talk about your powers while your brother makes sure your father isn't getting himself into trouble," Elphaba said.

"What's Dad up to?" Semir was confused.

"If I know him, bugging Amir for seconds," she chuckled. They all laughed before the young Duke headed inside to find his father.

Two days later, Glinda, Balfour, Khalil, and Ozma stood in front of the citizens of the Emerald City. Only the four knew what was coming next and Glinda looked as though she was about to pass out. Truth was, no one knew what was going to happen once the whole world knew. Glinda was about to open her mouth when someone in the crowd shouted,

"Look!" Bonescraper, Feilong, Jiahao, Shufen, Bao, and Hua had filled the skies. Coming in just above the top of the Palace was Kelebek with Elphaba on her back. Altan, Lale, Bahadir, Filiz, and Iskender were right behind her; the King, Queen, and Crowned Prince of the Vinkus, riding on the backs of the majestic creatures.

"Well at least we have a quick escape," Glinda cracked. Balfour leaned over and kissed her forehead. Glinda took a deep breath and started by saying,

"Good people of Oz…."


	36. Epilogue

Needless to say, with the dragons and the Vinkus backing Glinda and Balfour, the people of Oz quietly went back to their homes after Lady Glinda's announcement. Privately, there were many who were celebrating. Others were, of course, outraged – first they had been forced to realize that the ideals of the Wizard and Morrible were wrong and now they were being asked to accept something that many found unnatural and against their religion. Glinda knew that the announcement would not go over well and Bonescraper offered to hold his position in the Emerald City. She gladly accepted his assistance and the dragon hung around.

In the following weeks and months, there was unrest. People protested in the streets, minding themselves to not become violent for fear of the wrath of the dragons. King Tahir had the Vinkun borders secured but the occasional violence did break out. From threatening letters to even a poorly executed bombing – Glinda and her royal court were under fire.

However, slowly but surely after reading material was released and new laws were enacted, the crowds of protestors grew smaller. Eventually, the protests stopped altogether. While Oz was certainly not a utopia of ideals, the tide did seem to be turning. A better life for all Ozian citizens was something that would take a long time to reach but the beginning steps had been made.

Finally the day came that Lord Arduenna announced the Gillikin was once again open for business and that it welcomed all walks of life to come and visit. It was a good day for the country and people flocked from all over Oz to see all the work that had been done. Dignitaries and regular people rubbed elbows to get a glimpse of the new capital city. Rather than go back to wood construction, many of the homes and business were built with brick or stone. The grand capitol building had been made of limestone with a balcony built for making announcements. The balcony was basically the only round surface on the building. The rest was rectangular, which would not have been very exciting, except that the outside had been painted to match the favorite color of Gillikin – purple. It was accented with dark blues, grays, and light greens, so amongst the other brown and red buildings, the new government building really stood out.

Lord Arduenna stood in front of the crowd that had gathered and made his quick speech praising all those who helped to rebuild after the disaster wrought on Gillikin. Then Bart stepped up to the balcony ledge, Nori, who stood beside him, grew very confused as he pulled her with him.

"Good people, I want to thank you for coming. So much has been done to rebuild not only homes but lives and during it all there has been one person that I have realized I cannot live without," he paused. The good people who had been working with the young future leader of Oz, knew what was about to happen. He dropped to one knee, pulled something out of his pocket, and asked,

"Nori, will you marry me?" The young woman almost passed out. Bart's weird behavior had obviously been because he was nervous. She steadied herself, never thinking that the future ruler of Oz would feel anything more than just friendship. The fact was, she'd hopelessly fallen in love with him but never acted on anything given their differing statuses.

"Yes!" Nori finally managed. Bart breathed for the first time in what felt like an eternity. He stood up and slid the ring on Nori's finger as the crowd cheered. She finally looked at the ring and was struck by its simplicity but also the care that had been taken to make it. One ruby was in the middle with two diamonds on each side of the red stone. A gold band kept the stones in place. The two hugged each other happy that they would forever be together.

Back in the Vinkus, Zara and Emir's public wedding had happened only two months prior. The young Yunamata man had taken up residence in the Palace while it was decided where they would finally reside until it was time for them to take over the leadership of the country they loved. Izzy and Derya had moved to Shiz, the school would be opening in just a few weeks.

"The halls seem so empty," Chistery commented to Elphaba as the two headed for a meeting with the King. The griffins had returned to Ix, weeks prior, and Feilong, Jiahao, and Shufen moved to the Gillikin. Now that things had calmed down in the Emerald City, Bonescraper had returned to the Vinkus.

"I would agree. Have you seen my husband?" She asked.

"I have not…" Chistery didn't get to finish his thought as Fiyero came rushing over to them.

"Yero?" Elphaba asked him as he tried to catch his breath. Zara and Emir were behind him, not running, but holding hands.

"Dad, you really must be careful to not hurt yourself," Zara commented.

"It's all of those pies he's been eating. I really need to speak to Amir," Elphaba said. Emir chuckled but stopped when his mother-in-law gave her daughter a look.

"You have news don't you?" The green elder woman asked.

"When did you learn to read minds?" Zara asked.

"When my husband starts running down the hall, like that. I saw it twice before. Zara are you and Emir…" Zara nodded before her mother could finish. Elphaba pulled them both into a hug.

"My baby is having a baby. Oh Zara," the duchess was young but very much in love.

"This is very exciting!" Chistery smiled.

"It is but we must keep it between ourselves until she is a little further along," Elphaba said.

"The press?" Emir asked.

"Yes. It is customary to wait until later to avoid any…" the Princess didn't want to even imply something bad could happen. Everyone seemed to understand.

"You didn't tell Semir did you?" Fiyero asked, finally having caught his breath. They all had a laugh at that one. The youngest Tiggular had almost spilled the beans regarding the private wedding a couple of times but everyone had managed to stop him.

"Maybe we'll wait," Zara teased before heading off to find her younger brother with her husband. Things were changing for the better in Oz and everyone was looking toward the future with fewer secrets between them.

**THE END**


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